Once Upon A Stage
by KayValo87
Summary: An old girlfriend of Sam's is savagely murdered, and Sam and Dean must protect the only witness, her young son ... but soon they realize just how much danger the boy is really in. Also, Sam gets some information that will change his life forever.
1. Chapter 1

Even though I have been writing them for about a decade, this is my very first FanFic posted online. I'm a little nervous about what the mass public will think, so please let me know if you like it.

NOTE: I was a pre-school Sunday school teacher for over half a decade. I don't swear... however the characters do. I've found a way to keep them true to form, but not bend my standards. So if you see a word or phrase like "What the h#&?" use your imagination to fill in the blanks. :)

Disclaimer: if you've seen them/it on tv, I don't own it.

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_**Once Upon A Stage**_

_**Chapter 1**_

Sam Winchester awoke to a pillow bing dropped on his head.

"Up and at-tum, Sammy!"

His brother's sounded WAY to cheerful. Without opening his eyes, Sam thrust the pillow and the direction of the voice and smiled to himself when he heard it make contact. He looked at the clock on the hotel room's nightstand. 7:04am.

"Since when are you such a ray of sunshine, Dean?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

His brother grinned.

"Since Tanya Parker."

"I don't even want to know." Sam moaned and headed for the bathroom.

"Best weekend I had in months." Dean continued.

Sam sighed as he washed his face. Dean was always finding a new girl.

"You know Dean," His voice muffled, briefly, from the hand towel, "If you put as much effort into finding cases as you do finding girls, we wouldn't have been stuck here for three weeks."

"Ah, your just jealous."

"Jealous?" Sam scoffed. "Do you even remember the NAME of the girl you were out with LAST weekend."

"Yeah! It was... uh... Kay... something."

"It was Carrie."

"Whatever." Dean shrugged, opening a take out bag on the table. "I tried to call you to ask what you wanted for breakfast but you didn't answer. So, it's burritos. If you don't like it... too freaking bad."

Sam grabbed his cell phone of the nightstand.

"That's weird. I must have put it on silent." He mumbled to himself.

He checked his phone to change it back and got a surprise.

"Holy crap!" Sam shouted.

Instinctively, Dean looked over at his brother.

"What?"

Sam was staring at his phone like it had just turned into a snake.

"I have thirty-seven missed calls!"

"Well, that's what you get for leaving it on silent." Dean teased and went back to his food.

He picked up one of the breakfast burritos and started to unwrap it.

"Dean, I checked my phone last night."

Dean paused. This could be something serious, or it could be just a random coincidence. He turned around and leaned against the edge of the table.

"Why would someone call you 37 times?"

"Not someone, everyone! Bobbie, Ellen, even Becky!"

"Becky? Isn't that the girl you went to school with?"

"Yeah, and she's not the only one. Half these calls are from my friends at Stanford."

Dean had to admit, THAT was a little weird.

"What did they want?"

Sam just stared at his phone is disbelief.

"I don't know. Why would they all be calling me in one night?"

"Well don't just sit there like an idiot! Call one of them back and find out what the h*!% is

going on!"

Sam snapped out of it and made the call. It seemed like forever before he got an answer.

"Hey Bobbie, it's Sam... sorry, I had left my phone on silent."

Dean motioned for him to get to the point.

"Anyway, why'd you call?... No, I don't know who that is... What!? Why?... Yeah, Bobbie, we'll take care of it... No I think we can handle it by ourselves... I'll let you know... Thanks Bobbie, bye."

He hung up the phone and looked up at Dean.

"Someone's looking for me."

"Not exactly breaking news, Sam. You got a whole mess of creatures who would love to get there hands on you. Could you be more specific?"

"Emily Redmond."

"Who the h#$* is Emily Redmond?"

"I have no idea! But she seems to know who I am."

"So... what is she? Some kind of stalker?"

"I don't know Dean, but she's doing everything she can to find me. She's been contacting my old classmates, putting up fliers, she has a website-"

"A website!?"

Now this was bad! The LAST thing Sam needed was to be advertised on a website!

"That's what Bobbie said. He wants me to lie low until this whole thing blows over."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"But Dean, what about this girl? If she's using my name, my REAL name, she could bring who-knows-what right to her door!"

"And what if she IS a who-knows-what and is trying to lead you out in the open?"

"What if she isn't? Are you willing to take that chance?"

"With your life? NO!"

"Dean, what other choice do we have?"

By now Dean was pacing the room, his forgotten burrito getting cold on the table. If this was a trap there was no way in h*#! he would stand by and let his brother walk into it. But if it wasn't... then this Emily girl was setting herself up for a heap of trouble. He looked at Sam, a puppy dog look in his blue-green eyes.

"Ok," Dean said, slowly. "You're going to stay here-"

"Dean! Come on!"

"Hey, you're the one she's looking for, you're not going anywhere. If this is a trap you are staying far away from it. I'll go and check this girl out "

Sam's look instantly changed from pleading to determined.

"Oh no Dean, you are NOT leaving me behind!"

"Well, I'm not taking you."

"Then I'll follow you! I already know where Emily is."

Dean gave his brother a hard look.

"Sam, there is no way you are going."

Two hours later the brothers sat in the impala in silence. Sam held the map while Dean focused on the road. Sam glanced over at Dean, his thoughts wondering back to the fight in the hotel room. After thirty minutes of arguing in had come down to two choices, either Sam went or Dean locked him in the bathroom. He knew Dean meant well, but this was his problem and he wouldn't be left out of it. It had taken some doing, but Sam finally convinced his brother to let him come.

"How far are we from Burlington?"

Sam was a little startled. Dean hadn't said two words since they left the hotel.

"Well?" Dean asked impatiently.

Sam looked down at the map.

"About four hours."

"Great."

Sam sighed at his brother's sarcasm.

"Come on Dean, you can not stay mad at me the entire drive!"

"I'm not mad." Dean snapped.

"Yeah right."

"I just think you used a pretty cheap trick back there."

"What? You mean threatening to steal a car and follow you? You would have done the same thing and you know it."

"Yeah well, that's different."

It was different, Dean thought to himself. Sammy was his responsibility, always had been. This mess with this girl in Connecticut... it freaked him out. Even if she had pure intentions, who knows what might show up looking for Sam? He tried hard to hide his feelings from his brother, he had to. He couldn't let Sam see how shaken he was at the thought of something catching up to his little brother... Nothing would happen to Sam. He wouldn't let it.

Four, long, hours later they arrived at their destination. Without a clear idea of were to go, Dean started to hunt for a cheap motel... or a good place to eat, whichever he found first. It turned out to be both, a hotel right next to a steakhouse. Dean got out of the car and took a look around out of habit. Jeez, this was a small town, he thought to himself. There was a tractor place right across the street! He started toward the hotel, wanting to check in first, and looked back for a second to verify Sam was following him. His brother slowly walked a few steps back, probably thinking about why a stranger was looking so hard for him. Dean just turned his attention to the hotel, and the cute girl at the front desk. She looked to be in her late 20's with curly black hair and sparkling blue eyes. She smiled at him as he approached the counter.

"Hi. Welcome to Comfort Inn."

"Thank you... Sherri" He smiled, taking note of her name tag.

"Room for one" She asked sweetly.

Dean was about to correct her when he realized what EXACTLY she was saying. He looked around the lobby and saw he was the only one there! A sense of panic rose in him. Could something have snatched Sammy that quickly? Careful to keep his fears under control, he excused himself and went back toward the car. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his brother right outside the door looking at a large sign in the hotel window.

"Dude! Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?"

Sam look at him, confused.

"What?"

"Never mind!" He grumbled, and looked at the thing that had captured his brother's attention.

It was a two foot square of neon orange. Bold black letters, clearly drawn by hand, marched across it.

"INFORMATION NEEDED ON

SAM WINCHESTER 23 YEARS OLD

BROWN HAIR BLUE-GREEN EYES

FATHER AND ONE BROTHER

ATTENDED STANFORD UNIVERSITY

IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING PLEASE

CALL EMILY AT 555-8149 THANK YOU"

Dean looked over at Sam.

"Subtle, huh?"

"This is bad."

"You're telling me, what is she, in pep squad? All it's missing is the glitter!"

"Dean!" Sam groaned.

"Alright! Let's check in so we can find out who this girl is."

It didn't take them long to check in and drop off their bags. Ten minutes later they were looking over then menu at the steakhouse, deciding their next move, when a flash of bright yellow caught Dean's eye. Across the room sat a young woman, about Sam's age, with long straight blond hair. She was very pretty and smiled at a little boy who sat next to her, sadly poking at his French fries. Dean guessed the kid was about five or six, but it was hard to tell since he couldn't see much more of him then a mop of brown curls. But what really got his attention was the brightly colored square signs the leaned against her chair. He tapped on Sam's menu and pointed at the woman.

"Bet you ten bucks those signs got your name on them."

Sam immediately got up and walked over to her.

"Sam!" Dean whispered, trying not to draw attention to themselves.

He followed his younger brother and reached him just as Sam greeted her.

"Hi, are you Emily?"

"Uh... yes. Did you see my signs?"

"Um... yeah we did-"

"Who could miss 'em." Dean interrupted.

He gave Sam a look telling him to watch what he says. Sam return with a look Dean knew meant that Sam saw no threat with the young woman and her little boy. Better safe then sorry, Dean thought to himself. The girl seemed to not notice their silent conversation, she was too busy blushing.

"I know, they're really bright. I just didn't want people to ignore them. So... do you know anything about Sam?"

Sam opened his mouth, but Dean was faster.

"Yeah, I think I saw him a few weeks back in Miami."

Pretending not to notice the glare on his brother's face, he watched hope fill the woman's eyes.

"A few weeks? Thank you! That's my most recent sighting!"

She pulled a small notebook out of her purse. When she opened it Dean clenched his teeth. It was a fairly detailed count of his kid brother's movements going back to his teens!

"So when and were did you see him, exactly?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Dean's voice must have been colder then he intended because Sam stepped on his foot. Emily seemed to notice too.

"I know what it looks like, but I am not a stalker! I just have to find Sam."

"Why?" Dean repeated.

Emily looked like she was about to cry, making Dean feel like a jerk.

"You see, my best friend, Heather, was in love with him." Emily explained.

The glare on Sam's face finally left and was replaced with a mix of confusion and shock. Dean was a bit surprised himself, but he stuck to business. He didn't remember any girl named Heather, not that he remembered many girl's name anyway. But if this girl was so nuts about Sam, why was it her best friend who was looking for him? Wait, Emily had used the word love in a past tense. This peaked his interest. Sammy wasn't the kind of guy to earn a woman's wrath... well not a HUMAN woman anyway.

"Was?" He asked.

Now Emily really did started to cry.

"Heather... she..."

She didn't need to say it, her grief told them everything.

"Heather is dead?" Sam asked softly.

Emily nodded.

"That's why I have to find Sam."

"Fulfilling your best friend's dying wish." Dean commented. "Noble of you."

Emily wiped away her tears and shook her head.

"No." She whispered.

She ran her fingers through the chocolate brown curls of the little boy next to her. He had been so quiet Dean almost forgot he was there. He seemed content to just stare at his plate and eat his fries, but now he looked up at them, sadness filled his green-blue puppy dog eyes.

"I'm doing this for Julius here," Emily said fondly, "so he can meet his father."

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I have the next chapter finished, but I want to see if people like it before I post it, so let me know. Please and thank you. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews. They really mean a lot to me. :) As promised, here is part 2, enjoy. BTW, Thank you to the reviewer who reminded me to explain why Emily didn't know what Sam looked like. (I almost forgot.)

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_**Chapter 2**_

Sam caught his breath.

"Wait... what?" Dean asked.

One glance at Dean and Sam knew they were thinking the same thing. How the crap was Julius his kid!? Sam looked down at the boy. He had to admit, the kids looked a lot like him... at least as far as his coloring went. In appearance though, he was the image of Heather. It could be... Sam remembered Heather quiet well. She had long, curly hair the color of honey. Her eyes were the deepest shade of blue he had ever seen. They were just sixteen when they met. He and his family were in Ashland, OR looking into a haunted stage during the Shakespeare festival. Thanks to Heather, Sam had been next to useless on the hunt... but what a time he had with her! They met during a performance of Julius Caesar, which explains her son's name, and not much could separate them after that. He had gotten in more then one fight with his dad over priorities during that trip, with Dean too. He was a sixteen year old kid, Heather WAS his priority! She was so beautiful and so full of life... and now...

Dean saw the tears beginning to form in his brother's eyes. Sam knelt down, eye to eye with with the little boy.

"Julius, I'm so sorry for what happened to your mom, she was a wonderful girl."

"If there is anything we can do," Dean cut in before Sam said something stupid, "just let us know"

"You could tell us the last place you saw Sam Winchester." Emily volunteered.

Before Dean could stop him Sam blurted out,

"I'm Sam Winchester."

It wasn't until they got back to their room that Dean could let his brother know how he felt about his little declaration, in fact it was right after the door closed.

"Have you gone freaking INSANE!?" He yelled, throwing his jacket on the bed.

"He's my son." Sam said calmly.

"We don't know that!"

"I do."

"Come on, you expect me to believe you got laid at a Renascence fair? Brad Pitt couldn't get laid at a Renascence fair! Well Brad Pitt MAYBE, Tom Cruz..."

"I don't care what you believe, Dean. Julius is my son."

"Yeah, and how do you know that?"

"Have you looked at him?"

"He doesn't look anything like you!"

"We have the same eyes, Dean."

"Oh yeah!" Dean scoffed. "I can see that holding up in court! 'Yes your honor, I know he's mine because we have the same color eyes. Hey, you and I have the same color hair, we must be cousins!'"

"Give me a break." Sam mumbled, turned, and opened the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dean demanded.

"Out."

"You mean out with Emily and Julius?"

The look on Sam's face told him he had nailed it.

"Uh-uh, no way Sam. It's too dangerous."

"Dangerous for who?" Sam snapped, slamming the door closed again. "This girl is advertising my name and my son. What happens if a demon with a grudge comes to town?"

Dean rubbed his forehead with one hand. Sam had a point. Whether of not the kid is his was not the biggest issue. Right now Julius was in danger, so were Sam and Emily, and he had to keep them safe.

"Fine." Dean gave in, "but I'm going with you."

He grabbed his jacket and followed Sam out the door.

In no time they were approaching a small white house in desperate need of a lawnmower and a fresh coat of paint. As he rang the bell, Dean gave Sam a sideways glance. He looked uneasy, upset even, but he easily slipped on a calm mask as Emily opened the door.

"Hi Emily." Sam said.

Dean could tell the smile on his face was forced, but she didn't seem that observant.

"Hi Sam. Dean. Come on in."

The two of them followed Emily into the living room. It was very simple with only a couch, two chairs, a coffee table, and a television placed on a cabinet. Julius was sitting on the light blue floor leaning over the table. Paper and crayons were scattered around him while he solemnly drew a picture.

"Is he ok?" Dean asked, watching Sam sit down on the carpet next to Julius.

"He hasn't spoken much since..."

When she didn't finish, Dean gave her a sideways glance. Tears had filled her eyes as gazed at the gloomy child.

"Since his mom died?" Dean guessed.

Emily nodded. He turned his attention back to Sam, who gently touched the kid's shoulder.

"Hey Julius, remember me?" He asked.

Julius looked at him with those sad eyes.

"Yes. You're my dad."

Sam smiled, obviously uncomfortable.

"Uh... yeah... Can I color with you?"

As an answer, Julius handed him one of his pieces of paper and went back to his own drawing.

"Um, can I get you boys anything?" Emily asked, most likely trying to avoid an awkward silence.

They looked up in unison.

"May I have a chocolate milk please?" Julius asked politely.

"Uh, make that two, please."

"Sure." Emily smiled, and walked toward the kitchen.

Sam and Julius went back to what they were doing and, rather then hang out with De Vinci and Michaelangelo, Dean followed Emily.

"Did you want a chocolate milk too?" She asked him as he watched her open a cupboard.

"Sure why not."

Emily pulled out three large glasses and a small plastic one.

"Could you get the syrup out for me?"

"Sure."

He followed her directions and found it quickly, but when he turned to give it to her he saw Emily was crying.

"Um... Are you ok?"

"I'm just so glad Sam is finally here. I couldn't do this on my own anymore."

"Well, he seems like a pretty good kid, I can't see him being that much trouble."

Emily looked at him, her gray eyes wide.

"Oh no! Julius is an angel!" She burst into tears again. "That's the problem!"

Dean watched her cry while he tried to figure out the logic of that statement.

"So... What?"

"He was there!" She wailed. "He was there when Heather... he saw it all!"

Dean had a bad feeling about where this was going.

"Was Heather murdered?"

Emily tried to calm herself down.

"She wasn't just murdered, she was massacred! They practically torn her apart!"

Dean's jaw clenched. Julius had seen a monster.

"The police have no idea what happened, not that they will admit it" Emily went on, finally gaining control. "Who would do something like this? And to Heather, of all people!"

Dean could think of quite a few things capable of ripping apart a human, but nothing the police could catch.

He excused himself and leaned around to corner. Julius was showing off the picture of a large green dragon he was coloring, while Sammy had barely started on his horse. He hated to break up their bonding moment, but he had to have a word to his little brother,

"Hey, Van Gogh, we need to talk." Dean whispered.

Sam nodded, promised Julius he would be right back, and followed Dean onto the porch.

"What's wrong, Dean?"

He paused a moment, trying to come up with the right words, then figured he better just come out and say it.

"Heather was killed by a creature."

Sam's eyes grew wide.

"What? How do you know?"

"Emily told me."

He could see hurt on Sammy's face. He must have really liked this girl. He decided to spare him the grisly details... not that he had many, but his brother was taking in a lot right now.

"Do we know what did it?" Sam was visibly trying to keep himself calm.

"No. But... uh... there was a witness."

"Who?"

Dean didn't answer, but something in his face must have given it away. Sam's expression changed from pain, to shock, to anger.

"Did Julius see what happened?" He demanded.

Dean kept up a cool facade, but his silence was enough to give his answer. Sam turned away from him and leaned against the porch railing. Dean watched him, trying to decide his best move. A part of him wanted to go and kill whatever it was that caused his baby brother's pain. Another part wanted to hide him in case the thing came back. And another wanted to hold him close and make it all better. Well, the third option was out, in his current mood, Sammy would probably hit him if he tried. The second option was also out, he knew his brother better then that. He would probably agree to hiding Emily and Julius, but there was no way he could keep Sam out of this fight. Dean rested his elbows on the railing next to Sam. This left option three.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you guys. But the best thing for us to do right now is to find the d*&# thing before it strikes again."

"I know Dean." Sam spoke softly, but his voice was full of rage. "It's just that... Julius is only six. Seeing something like that... no wonder he barely talks."

That hit home. Dean had been four when yellow eyes killed his mom. He would never tell Sam this, but he had nightmares about the fire for years after it happened. If Julius had seen his mom ripped apart... Dean sighed to himself. He was going to KILL this son of a b!&# if it's the last thing he ever did!

Sam went back into the house and watch Julius draw flames coming out of his dragon's mouth. For such a small boy, he could draw a pretty scary lizard. He wondered what monster he had seen with his own eyes. Sam hadn't known about the supernatural until he was eight, and it had scared him out of his mind. He could only imagine what it was like to find out at six. Julius noticed him and motioned for him to sit back down.

"Emily brought your milk, cookies too."

He pointed to a large glass and a plate with three sugar cookies on it. Sam sat down and held the plate out to Julius. He shook his head.

"I already had one. Emily said I can't have too much sugar."

"Well, you can have one more and we just won't tell Emily."

"Thank you. Sugar cookies are my favorite."

"Yeah? Mine too."

For the first time, Sam saw a hint of a smile on the boy's face. The two went back to their pictures while Sam drank his milk and wondered how best to question Julius.

"So," He said, a little unsure of what to say, "I heard about what happened to your mom."

Instantly, Julius' orange crayon went still. He hung his head and Sam saw a tear drop onto one of the dragons black wings. He pulled the small boy into his arms and rubbed his back trying to ease some of his pain.

"It's ok." He said in a soothing voice. "I'm here. Nothing will get you."

"You can't stop the monsters." He whimpered, hopelessly.

"Monsters?"

That didn't make much sense, Sam thought to himself. If there was more then one, how did Julius get out without a scratch on him?

"Two of them." His tiny voice barely a whisper. "They... they ate my mom."

His little body shook with sobs. Sam kept up his comforting manner, but now he was fuming. Some creatures ate a girl he once loved in front of his son! Sam was ready to rip their hearts out. He wondered how much Dean knew about what happened. He looked down at Julius' tear streaked face. He didn't want to push him, but if he was going to kill them, he had to know what the kid saw.

"What did the monsters look like?" He asked gently.

Julius rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"They looked like people, but they had sharp teeth and were really strong. T-they threw Mom into a wall!" He started to talk faster and breath harder, tears filled his eyes just waiting to fall.

"They bit her and they scratched her! Mom was screaming! I closed my eyes but I could still hear them. The monsters were laughing! They laughed at Mom as they killed her!"

He cried harder, and Sam held him tighter.

"It's ok. It's ok." He whispered, over and over.

He waited until Julius had calmed down before asking another question.

"Where were you?"

"I was in the cupboard, in the end table." He sniffed. "We had been playing hide and seek when the doorbell rang."

"What happened after?"

Julius was quiet for so long, Sam didn't think he was going to answer.

"They were there for a long time after mommy stopped screaming." His voice sounded hollow, numb with grief. "I could hear a lot of yucky sounds. Then everything was quiet, but I stayed in my hiding spot. It seemed like forever. Then someone screamed again. It was Emily. She started calling my name and I came out and ran to her as fast as I could. She wouldn't let me look behind the couch... but I saw blood on the walls."

Sam hated himself for making Julius relive what had happened, but there was someone else who he was also mad at.

After a few minutes of comforting his little boy, Sam went into the kitchen and found Dean talking to Emily, probably getting details of the murder... or not.

"So," Dean began, picking up a cookie, "how come you were Heather's best friend, but didn't know what Sammy looked like?"

"Oh," Emily blushed at Dean's smile.

Sam groaned inwardly. Did he have to flirt with every single girl he met?

"Well, I didn't meet Heather until Julius was born." Emily explain. "And I guess Sam was shy about getting his picture taken. The only one Heather had of him, he was wearing a mask."

I wasn't shy, Sam thought to himself. He just knew better then to leave his picture behind, not that it was important now. He had other things to deal with. Sam cleared his throat, letting them know he was there.

"Dean, can I talk to you outside?" He forced his voice to stay calm in front of Emily.

"Ok." Dean mumbled, his mouth full of sugar cookie.

He downed the last of his chocolate milk and followed Sam back out to the porch. As soon as the front door closed Sam turned on his brother.

"How much did Emily tell you about Heather's death?" He demanded.

"Why?"

"Did you know she was eaten?"

Sam knew his brother well enough to read his facial expressions, and the look on Dean's face confirmed his suspicions. Sam was barely able to contain his rage.

"You knew? You knew and you didn't tell me!?"

"Sam, calm down..."

"I'm not going to calm down Dean! You had no right to keep it from me!"

"D&$ it, Sam! You were already in enough pain. Telling you how she died wouldn't have helped anything!"

Sam turned his back on Dean and tried to gather his thoughts. His brother was right. The only thing knowing how she died did was making him more determined to find the thing-THINGS-that killed her. But it would have bee nice to hear it from his twenty-seven year old brother rather then his six year old son.

Just then, he heard the front door open. He turned to see Julius with a sheet of paper in his hands.

"I-I don't know if it will help." His voice still shaky. "But I drew a picture of the monsters."

Dean took the picture and Sam peered over his shoulder. It showed two skinny people with black eyes. One with long dark hair, the other with long red hair. The had evil smiles full of sharp teeth and dripping with blood. Other then that, they looked perfectly human. This certainly would narrow down their suspect list.

"Not bad." Dean commented. "Now were their eyes actually black? Like, all black?"

"N-no. I-I mean... I don't know." Julius sounded nervous. "I couldn't see their eyes. Was I suppose to?"

"No, Julius. This is fine." Sam replied quickly.

Still Julius started to cry. Sam glared at his brother. He loved him dearly, but sometimes he could be... well... an insensitive jerk. He squatted down and gave the kid a hug.

"It's alright Julius. The picture is perfect."

"It's not that." He blubbered. "I just don't want to die too!"

Sam sighed, he had been afraid something like this would happen. His own dad had been off on a hunt the night he found out monsters were real. He had cried himself to sleep thinking that whatever it was would kill his dad then come after him and Dean.

"You're not going to die, Julius."

"That's right." Dean said. "Nothing is going to happen to you. Not while Sam and I are around."

Julius hugged him tighter and Sam got a feeling that there was something more.

"Julius, is there anything else you remember about the night that your mom died?"

He felt him nod into his shoulder.

"What is it?" Dean prodded. "It's ok, you can tell us anything."

"The monsters..." He began. "They... they knew Mommy's name."

Sam glanced over at Dean, who looked completely serious. Could Heather have ticked someone or something off badly enough for this to happen?

"And..." Julius continued, his face still buried in Sam's shirt. "They knew I was there."

"What?" Sam asked, shocked.

Julius pushed back and looked Sam in the eye.

"They told me they would be back to see me later."

Sam felt Dean tense up beside him. Something had gotten ticked off, big time, and poor Julius... he was stuck right in the middle of everything. He wrapped his tightly arms around his little boy again, not wanting to ever let go.

"They're gonna come back and get me!" Julius sobbed. "And they're gonna get you too!"

"It's all going to be ok, Julius." Sam soothed. "Your dad's here now, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you... ever again."

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So, I hoped you like this. As before, I have part 3 ready to go, I'm just waiting to see how people are likeing it so far. And reviews are more then welcome. PLEASE let me know what you think.

Also, I apologize to anyone who has this chapter on "story alert" if you got more then one email. My computer was being stupid and I had to try several times before I could get this to post. Sorry.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this took so long, I was away from my computer for the better part of three days and could not write anything at all. To make it up to you I will be posting a new story in the next couple of days. (Don't worry, since I have no life, I will not ignore my other ones. :) ) Thanks for all the reviews. :) I hope you like the next part.

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Chapter 3

Dean straightened his tie before entering the police station. It was a little odd going in without his wingman, but they had agreed that someone had to stay behind and protect Julius and Emily. So, here he was wearing a monkey suit, risking his freedom to commit a felony, while Sam was at Emily's decorating cookies. Life was so not fair. He entered the building and approached the front desk.

"May I help you?" The young officer asked.

Dean flipped out his badge.

"I'm Agent Rhys, I'm looking into the murder of Heather Manser."

"FBI?" He asked surprised. "Why are you asking about the Manser case?"

"Why are you questioning an FBI agent?"

"Oh... um... wait here."

The young officer came back a minute later with an older detective. Great, Dean thought to himself, now I have to deal with Colombo.

"Hello, I'm the lead in the Manser murder." He shook Dean's hand. "Name's Gerd Onderdonk."

Dean tried to keep a straight face and not laugh at the man's name... but failed miserably. The cop looked at him very seriously.

"It was my grandfather's name."

Dean cleared his throat.

"Yes, and I'm sure he was a fine man." Putting back on his FBI facade, he continued "I'm here about Heather Manser's murder."

"Now why is the FBI taking an interest in that?

"It's the FBI, we're interested in a lot of things, detective. We think the Manser murder may be connected to another killer we have been after for some time."

"As far as we can tell, the girl's death was an isolated incident. I've never even heard of anything else like it."

Dean sighed inwardly. This was going to take awhile.

Over an hour later, Dean got back in his hotel room.

"D#*$ locals." He muttered to himself.

It had taken forever to convince them to give him the file, and even longer for the surveillance tape. Dean dropped the fruits of his labors on the table before changing his clothes. He grabbed a beer out of the mini fridge and started to leaf through the pages. His stomach turned when he saw the crime scene photos, thankful Emily had kept Julius from seeing the carnage. The door opened a minute later and Sam came in.

"Hey Sam." Dean shoved the pictures underneath the file. "What are you doing here?"

They had both seen worst, but his brother didn't need to see someone he cared about like that.

"Julius had a couple of doctor appointments, so Emily took him." Sam explained, taking off his coat. "I thought I'd come by and see what you found out. Oh, and I brought you this."

He held up a take out bag and a smile spread Dean's face.

"I love you, little brother."

He grinned back, dropping the bag on the table next to his brother. When he reached for it, Dean saw Sam's smile fade.

"You ok, Sammy?"

"Is that the police report?"

"Uh, yeah."

He casually placed his hand over the document, knowing what Sam was about to ask.

"Can I see it?"

"There's nothing there you don't already know."

Sam closed his eyes.

"No Dean, not this time."

"What?"

"Stop protecting me. I can handle this."

Dean smiled at the determination in his brother's eyes, but kept his hand on top of the file.

"Sammy, you can argue, whine, complain, kick, and scream all you want. But I will never stop protecting you."

Now Sam's face was a cross between annoyed and angry.

"Just give me the file."

Dean's grin widened.

"H!%& no."

"Jerk."

"B$*&#."

Sam glared at him, but Dean just kept smiling. He couldn't stand to see the pain Sam would go through looking at those pictures, and the description of the scene wasn't any better. No, he was pulling rank and keeping those details to himself, and Sam would just have to suck it up. They stared each other down until Sam finally looked away.

"Fine." He sighed. "Have it your way."

Dean was relieved. He knew Sammy would have given in eventually, and he would have been happy to wait as long as necessary. Then again...

"Thanks Sam, I was getting hungry."

He pulled a burger out of the bag and took a bite, it was cold. Ah, he thought to himself, the cost of being an awesome big brother.

While Dean ate his food, Sam called Emily to check on Julius. She said he was still in with the doctor and would call when they were done. He thanked her and hung up. Sam wasn't happy with the idea of Julius seeing a child psychiatrist, they would never believe him. They would say it was just his imagination, but his son wasn't crazy and Sam wouldn't let anyone make him think he was.

Sam turned to see if Dean was finished and noticed a video tape sitting on the table next to the file his brother was puppy guarding.

"What's on the tape?"

"It's a surveillance tape." Dean mumbled, his mouth full of fries. "Shows two women entering Heather's apartment building just before the attack."

"Do the police think they did it?"

"Naw." Dean swallowed. "They don't think Hulk Hogan could have caused that kind of damage, much less two skinny girls."

"But we know better." Sam murmured, half to himself.

He picked up the tape and turned it over in his hands.

"Have you watched it yet?"

"Nope." Dean crumpled up his wrappers. "They said the faces are too hard to make out."

Suddenly, Sam remembered something.

"I think I have an idea."

He grabbed his coat and threw Dean's at him. His brother didn't move.

"Come on."

"Dude!" Dean whined. "I'm still eating."

Sam glared at him until he grudgingly pulled on his coat and muttered something about wasting away. He ignored him. Dean got his way with the file, but now it was Sam's turn to take the lead.

A couple hours later, the brothers sat in a cramped back room, surrounded by electronics equipment. Sam was grateful one of his college friends had a cousin who was a video technician, even more so that the guy worked close by, but would it kill them to clean up now and then? Food wrappers, porn magazines, and what Sam was sure was a sock littered the room. If Dean was a computer nerd, this would be his workspace.

"This guy lives like you."

"It's not THAT bad."

A shuffling sound caught Sam's attention. He looked over and saw Dean holding a magazine, smiling.

"Dude, I have this one! The twins on page twelve..."

Sam gave him an annoyed look.

"What?" He asked, before flipping through the pages.

Sam sighed and went back to the reason they were there in the first place. Focusing on the screen he typed in the commands. In a few minutes he would have a clear view of Heather's killers. While he waited, Sam was distracted by a crunching sound. He turned to Dean to see if he heard it too, but instead got his answer. His eyes grew wide with disbelief.

"Dude! You brought POPCORN!"

Dean paused, his hand still in the little box.

"No!" He protested. "They're crackerjacks... and I didn't bring them."

Sam wasn't sure exactly how to respond to that.

"Seriously," He rubbed his face with both hands, "I can't believe we are related."

"I sometimes feel the same way myself Sammy."

A moment later, Sam felt Dean slapped him on the shoulder.

"You're sceens dumb."

Sam glanced over in time to watched Dean toss the empty crackerjack box into the neglected trashcan across the room. He then saw what happened to the contents, as well as his brother's ability to speak proper English, when Dean smiled at him looking very much like a chipmunk. Sam shook his head and turned back to the computer. Peering at the face on the screen, Sam's heart jumped into his throat. It can't be! He could barely breath as all the pieces fell into place. The attack on Heather, the threat against Julius... he knew why it had all happened.

He got up and ran from the room. He could hear Dean calling after him, but he didn't care. He didn't stop until he reached the car. He leaned against the black hood, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. He pulled out his phone and dialed quickly. He needed to hear Julius' voice. He needed to know that Julius was safe.

Dean grabbed the tape and chased down his brother. He found him sitting in the front seat of the Impala, door wide open, staring at his phone. He wiped his face when he saw Dean coming, but there wasn't much point.

"Sam, what the h*#$ happened back there?"

"It's my fault, Dean." He whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

"Heather's death. It's my fault."

Dean could see the tears starting to form again.

"Sam, you didn't cause this."

"Yes I did! If Heather and I had never met she would still be alive. I brought this on her... just like Jessica..."

"Now you stop right there Sam!" Dean ordered. "Don't do this to yourself. You couldn't have known this would happen."

Sam opened his mouth to speak.

"Shut up and listen to me!" Dean barked. "Some evil b!#%$ did this, NOT you!"

"You don't understand Dean, I led them too her. Because of me, Heather became a target."

"Sammy, what are you talking about."

Sammy looked down towards his feet.

"Kate."

"Kate?"

Dean was never very good at remembering people.

"Last year," Sam prodded, "Manning, Colorado."

It all came back to him. Kate was the vampire that killed their dad's friend, Daniel Elkins. The three of them had wiped out her entire nest, except Kate and girl they just turned. Then it became clear. Kate had long read hair and the fang she left was a brunet. Anger burned inside him. Kate had killed Elkins just like they killed Heather, hurting two members of his family. He swore he was going to kill that b&*$#, but first he had to take care of Sammy. The guilt from loosing Jessica had nearly killed him, and Dean wasn't about to let it happen again. He hunched down and look Sam in the eye.

"Sammy," his voice gentle, "You haven't seen Heather in years, You didn't tell Kate about her. You didn't tell Heather about vampires. H*&$, you didn't know vampires existed when you two were together! There is no freaking way this is your fault."

"But if she hadn't been looking for me... if she didn't have my son..."

Sam started to cry again. Dean wrapped his arms around his little brother and rubbed his back.

"It's not your fault." He repeated softly. "It's not your fault."

Dean waited until he calmed down before letting go, but kept a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Have you talked to Julius?"

Sam shook his head.

"He's in with another doctor. Emily will have him call when he gets out."

"Did the first shrink say anything?"

"That he's traumatized, confusing his imagination with reality."

"Well," Dean leaned his back against the car, "the guy's half right."

Sam let out a humorless laugh, then sat quietly for a minute.

"You know Dean, I've been thinking a lot about Julius."

"Yeah?"

"What am I going to do with him? You know, after we kill Kate?"

Dean had been avoiding thinking about this. Sammy hated growing up as a hunter, moving from place to place, always sleeping in reach of a loaded gun. He had wanted a childhood, but was forced to become a solider. He would never submit a sweet kid like Julius to this life... but would he leave this life for his son? He looked at his brother, knowing that Sam was growing to love the boy. H%#, he was starting to become attached to him. Still, Dean couldn't help but feel selfish. If Sammy stayed with Julius, he would be left to hunt alone.

"I don't know, Sammy." He admitted "We'll have too figure that out later."

Sam nodded absentmindedly. His phone rang and he quickly answered it.

"Hello?... Julius! How are you doing? How was the doctor?... What?"

Dean could tell Sam was starting to panic.

"What what?"

Sam motioned for him to wait, while he visibly calmed himself down.

"Julius, it's going to be fine. Put Emily on... Emily?... Listen very carefully. I want you to go back to your house, lock all the doors and windows, if you have a silver knife grab it, make a circle of salt, bring Julius in the circle and stay there until we get back. Ok?... Emily, we'll be back as soon as we can, just stay inside the salt... I know it sounds crazy!... Please!... thank you. We'll be there soon. STAY IN THE SALT!"

By the time Sam hung up, Dean couldn't stand it anymore.

"What's going on?"

"We have to get back. Julius said he saw another monster."

They got into the car and headed back towards Burlington.

"Sam, salt isn't gonna do squat against a vampire. You know that!"

"It wasn't a vampire. Julius said he saw a man with weird eyes."

Dean floored it, his original fears came rushing back. Emily had advertised Sam's name, now something had come looking looking for them!

* * *

Let me know what you think. The next chapter is ready... as soon as I get it back from my unofficial editor anyway. :)

COMING SOON: A sweet Dean/Julius moment


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry this took so long. (My unofficial editor is biased. She would not help me finish this one until we had finished chapter 3 of "Divided, Not Conquered".)

* * *

Chapter 4

Sam was out of the Impala, almost before it stopped moving. He jumped up the steps of the white house, Dean right behind him.

"Emily! Julius!" He pounded on the door. "It's us!"

As soon as the door opened Sam rushed passed, a very startled, Emily, and right into the waiting arms of his son.

"Dad!" Julius wrapped his arms around Sam's neck.

"It's ok, Julius." Sam soothed, his adrenaline slowing now that he knew his boy was safe. "I'm here now. Nothing will hurt you."

"What is going on?" Emily demanded. "Why did you make me pour salt all over my house!?"

Sam gave his brother a look, and he took the hint. He watched as Dean led her into the kitchen, making up some story about killer rats and their fear of condiments. Sam knew there was no way she would believe it, but at that moment he didn't care. He carried Julius to the the couch.

"Julius, what did the monster look like exactly."

Julius looked at the floor.

"I-I don't know. Maybe I didn't see anything after all."

He sniffed, swinging his feet over the side.

"I'm sorry I scared you Dad." He whispered.

Sam pulled him up onto his lap.

"Julius, you said you saw a man with funny eyes."

"But men don't have funny eyes." He argued. "Just like ladies don't have sharp teeth."

Sam's jaw clenched. He knew it was a bed idea letting Julius go to those doctors!

"Julius, I want you to listen to me. I need you to tell me what you think you saw, and I will tell you if you imagined it or not."

"But Dr. Aldridge..."

"Ok, forget what Dr. Aldridge told you." He snapped.

He regretted it when he saw the fearful look in the child's eyes. For a moment he saw himself, all those times his own dad used to yell. Hating himself, he pulled Julius into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just... if anything happened to you, I don't know what I would do."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, holding each other, before Julius whispered in Sam's ear.

"Dad, I did see a scary man. He look right at me and his eyes suddenly lost all their color. The were white with a little black dot in the middle. They told me to say hi to my dad and uncle."

Sam racked his brain, trying to remember what creature had those kind of eyes.

"Dad... is the monster going to... I mean... he talked about you and..."

"Don't worry Julius, nothing will happen to me or Dean."

"Dad... are these monsters I keep seeing... are they real?"

Sam swallowed hard. If there was anyway to shield Julius from the supernatural, he would do it in a heartbeat... but was that the best thing to do with all that was going on? Would it be better for his son if he told him what was really out there? He needed brotherly advice.

"Julius, I'll be right back. I have to... uh... talk to Dean."

He couldn't believe what he found in the kitchen! Emily was sitting on a stool, a cup of coffee in her hands, while Dean was sitting on the counter next to her.

"See," He explained, "we would have had you put ketchup around the house, but it's not worth the mess."

"I'm confused, why are the killer rats afraid of condiments?"

Sam just stood there, mouth wide open, but there was no words for this kind of situation. Dean looked up.

"Hey Sam."

Sam just continued to stare.

"Uh... I think Sam and I need to talk. I'll be right back."

Dean pulled him out the door and back to the porch.

"What's up Sammy?"

Sam was still in a state of shock.

"She believed you? She ACTULLY believed you?"

Dean gave him a look he guessed was suppose to be offended.

"Don't sell me short, Sammy! I can be pretty convincing."

"With a story like that!?"

"Ok," He admitted. "So it's a bit of a stretch."

"Killer rats?"

"What? There are killer snakes, killer bees, killer clowns, why not killer rats?"

Sam rolled his eyes as Dean continued.

"Killer lions, killer ants, killer armadillos..."

"Dean."

"Huh? Oh yeah... I take it's that's not what you have to talk to me about."

"No, Julius gave ma a description of the monster he saw."

"Ok... so what is it? Demon? Werewolf?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen it before. He said they had white eyes with black pupils."

Dean scratched his head, thinking for a second, before looking very angry.

"Ah, crap! I know what it is!"

"What?"

"It's a d*$% shape-shifter, that's what!"

Dean started to pace the length of the porch in frustration.

"Dean, why would a shape-shifter be after us or Julius?"

"How the h&^# should I know? I'm not a freaking mind reader!"

After a few more moments of silence, Dean walked back into the house.

"Hey Emily!" Sam heard him yell. "How do you feel about security cameras?"

Later that day, Dean stood on a chair in the corner of the living room, attempting to install the last of Emily's new security system. Sam, however, was making play-dough sculptures with Julius.

"Sam?" He grunted as the power drill bore into the wall. "Get your freakishly tall a#% over here and help me."

"Oooooh. You said a bad woooord." Julius called from the coffee table. "Now you have to put a dime in the swear jar."

Dean looked back at his nephew and glared at Sam's huge grin.

"Hey Julius?" He asked, stepping off the chair. "How many times has your daddy had to put a dime in the swear jar."

Julius concentrated on rolling a long red snake.

"None. Dad doesn't swear."

Sam laughed as Dean fished through his pocked for a coin, thinking about all the ways he could get back at Sammy for this. He pulled out a quarter and flipped it to the kid.

"Here." Turning to Sam, he said. "Now get you a&$ over here."

Julius grabbed his dad by the arm, keeping him at his side, while he gave his uncle gave him a stern look.

"That's NOT the way we ask for help."

Dean scowled at the smirk on his brother's face. Sam was enjoying this WAY too much.

"Well?" Julius asked, arms crossed. "We're waiting."

"Yeah." Sam chimed in. "We're waiting."

Dean took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Sam, dear brother, would you please help me put up these camera before you-know-who comes around?"

Julius frowned.

"Who is 'you-know-who'?"

"It's a secret." Sam mumbled, pushing himself off the floor.

Dean turned around, and got smacked on the back of his head.

"What'd you do that for?" He asked in a harsh whisper, trying not to disturb Julius.

The last thing he needed today was a lecture about fighting from a first grader.

"Are you trying to scare him?" Sam matched his tone. "Don't you think he has enough to worry about without thinking monsters are coming to his house?"

"Have you told him what's out there yet?"

"Don't change the subject."

Dean groaned and handed Sam a video camera. He held it in place while Dean, climbing back on the chair to get a better angle with the screw driver, fastened it to the wall.

"You are going to have to tell him eventually."

"I'd rather it be later then sooner."

Dean couldn't help but smile.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just... you remind me of Dad. How he want you to be kept out of the loop as long as possible. He didn't want you to be afraid of the dark"

"Julius could do with less fears right now." Sam's voice was grim. "He's not ready to know the truth about what's out there."

Dean gave him a very serious look.

"Come on, Sam. I wish he could stay not knowing for the rest of his life, but that is not an option if we want it to be a long life."

"But why does HE have to know? Why does he have to see these... things?"

He watched tears fill his younger brothers eyes and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"The truth is, Sammy, he's a smart kid. Even if you wanted to keep it from him, you couldn't. He's too much like you."

"Dad? What's wrong?"

They both looked down and saw a very concerned little boy right behind them.

"I just got something in my eye."

Julius didn't look convinced.

"It's not nice to lie to people, Dad. Is it about my mom? Please, talk to me."

Dean knew that Sam didn't have the heart to tell him what was REALLY going on, h&%#, he went through the same thing when he was a kid. Sam had forced him to tell the truth by reading their dad's journal when he was eight. Looked like he was going to have to play the "good brother" card again.

"Sammy, why don't you go see how Emily is doing?"

He looked like he didn't want to leave. Dean gave him, what he hoped was, a reassuring look. His brother sighed, gave Julius a hug, and slowly walked out of the room. Dean hated seeing him like that, but right now he had to focus on the little guy at his feet.

He plopped him down on the couch next to him.

"Here's the thing, Squirt," he tried to make the mood as light as possible, "I'm gonna tell you a secret, but you have to promise not to tell. Ok?"

"Ok, I promise."

"Good. Now then, not everything you see on tv is real... but some of it is."

Julius whimpered, and Dean wrapped a protective arm around him. Jeez, did this kid remind him of a six year old Sam!

"But you don't have to worry, kiddo, because superheros are real to."

"But Emily said Spiderman was only on tv."

"Not Spiderman, I mean REAL superheros."

"Like who?"

"My dad, your grandpa, was one of the best."

"Really?"

Dean beamed with pride as he told Julius about all scary monsters his dad killed and all the lives he saved doing it.

"That was MY grandpa?"

"Yup. THATS a REAL superhero."

"Were is he now?"

Dean tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"You see... real heroes give up a lot... and sometimes..."

Julius cut him off by putting his tiny hand on Dean's cheek, his voice was small and gentle.

"Is Grandpa dead?"

Dean could only nod. Julius wrapped his little arms around his uncle's neck.

"It's ok to be sad. I miss my mom too."

"Hey Julius?" He asked, desperately wanting to end the tear fest, "You want to know something really cool?"

He pushed back and looked in Dean's eyes. Man! He really DID look like a mini Sammy!

"What?"

"Your Dad is a superhero too."

Julius' jaw dropped.

"No way! Really? He kills scary monsters?"

"All the time. We both do."

"You're a superhero?"

Dean grinned.

"Are you kidding? I helped teach Sammy. So that's why you don't have to be scared. You got two superheros watching over you. Nothing is going to get you when we're around."

"What about the scary man?"

"Him?" Dean scoffed. "Don't worry about it. Sam and I have faced his kind before. We can take care of him easy."

Julius hopped off the couch grinning.

"Wow! My family are superheros! Wait until the kids at school find out about this!"

"Um..." Dean caught him by the shirt before he could take off. "Remember? It's a secret."

The his face fell.

"You mean I can't tell anyone? Not even Emily?"

"Especially not Emily. With her, we are going to pretend that we are killer rat hunters."

Julius made a face.

"That's stupid! Who came up with that story?"

"Not important. The important thing it, it's a secret between us Winchesters."

"But... but, my name is Manser."

"Think of that as... your undercover name. Your Sammy's kid, you're a Winchester."

Speaking of Sammy, he popped his head around from the kitchen.

"Hey, Emily is leaving for work now. I was gonna go out and pick up something to eat. What do you guys want?"

"Cheeseburger with extra onions, a side of fries, and some pie." Dean answered quickly.

"That's a shock. What do you want, Julius?"

"Can I go with you?"

Dean and Sam exchanged glances. It was safe enough, as long as he was with one of them.

"Sure, go grab your coat."

Sam waited by the door while Dean helped Julius put on his red jacket. Before racing off to Sam, the kid grab Dean in a big hug.

"Spiderman's got nothing on you Uncle Dean."

He grinned and return the embrace.

"You know it, Kiddo."

Sam was relived Julius now knew and he didn't have to hide things or lie anymore... but now his little guy had reached the curiosity stage. All he could talk about on their way to the drive thru was all the things his family killed and how to kill them?

"Can you kill a ghost if it's already dead?"

"Well... I guess we don't really KILL them."

"So you can't beat a ghost?"

"Sure, we can BEAT them. We put their spirits to rest."

"How?"

"Salt and burn the bones."

"Ewww!"

Sam laughed at the look on his son's face.

"You asked."

"I'm sorry I did."

It didn't take them long to get through the drive-thru, Julius reminding him every five seconds to remember extra onions and pie. Sam thought he saw Dean whisper in his ear right before they left. As they headed back towards the house, Julius continued his questions.

"Have you ever seen a werewolf?"

"Oh yeah. A few times."

"Do they really look like dogs?"

"No, Buddy, they look like people, but with sharp teeth and claws."

"Like the thing that killed mom?"

Sam instantly regretted speaking. He pulled into a parking lot so he could turn and face his son. Tears were already forming as he wrapped him in a hug.

"I'm so sorry."

"Dad... what killed my mom?"

Sam held him tighter.

"It... it was... vampires."

"And their coming after me?"

He rubbed the kids back, tears stinging his own eyes.

"No they won't... and I'll kill them if they try."

Julius snuggled into his shoulder.

"I love you, Dad. You're the bravest man in the whole world."

"I love you too."

Suddenly Julius screamed. Sam instinctively pulled back and went for his gun.

"There!" Julius pointed into the darkness. "It was the scary man! He found us!"

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter. I was a little disscouraged by the lack of reasponse from the last chapter. People are still enjoying this, right? I wouldn't want to put a lot of time into something that people aren't even reading. Let me know if I should just wrap in up or if I should follow my original outline.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for all the support on this. Like I said at the beginning of chapter 1, this is the first FanFic I have ever posted online. I guess I'm still a little nervous about people liking it.

* * *

Chapter 5

Sam looked in the direction his son was pointing. He didn't see anyone, but knew better then to assume it was the kid's imagination. Glancing back at Julius, he felt torn. Part of him knew if the shape-shifter was around the best thing to do was kill It now before it changed, but part of him wanted to take his son as far away from here as possible. He ran his hand through his hair. Thinking fast he pulled his phone from his pocket and tossed it to Julius.

"Call Dean. Tell him what's going on."

He checked his gun and was climbing out of the car when there was a tug on the back of hi coat.

"Dad! Don't leave me."

He looked into those wide fearful eyes and hated himself, but he couldn't let the thing get away.

"It's going to be okay, Julius. Just call Dean and lock all the doors. I'll be right back."

He tried not to look at his son's tears as he ran into the night.

With his gun ready, Sam began a slow and careful search, beginning where Julius say the man, and moving into a nearby ally. Suddenly, he was struck from behind and fell to the ground! Dazed, he pulled himself to his knees, only to feel a kick in the stomach a moment later. Now on his back, Sam looked up at a tall man with blond hair... and white eyes.

"So, you must be Samuel Winchester."

The creature grinned wickedly.

"It's Sam." He grunted.

Sam swung his leg catching the thing behind the knees and It hit the cement with a thud. Before It could recover, Sam was on his feet. He had lost his gun in the initial attack, but that wasn't about to stop him. The thing growled and came at him, but Sam was ready. He delivered a solid punch to the side of the creature's head followed by a swift kick to his middle. Sam readied himself for another attack as the thing slowly got up. Suddenly, all Sam could see was a green object flying straight at his face. He used his arms as a shield and the bottle smashed into him and shattered. He bit back a cry of pain as the shards sliced through his skin. He lowered his arms to find himself alone. Without wanting to wast the time to find his gun, he pulled a small knife from his ankle. It wasn't silver, but it was all he had. Taking a deep breath, he tracked the thing farther down the dark ally.

He stepped softly, his eyes darting here and there trying to catch any glimpse of movement. He was worried sick about Julius. The little guy had to be scared out of his mind. He wondered if this is what his dad felt like every time he had to wait in the car. He jerked out of his thoughts when he felt an arm wrap around his throat.

"You want to know a secret?" A voice hissed in his ear.

As an answer, Sam jabbed his elbow into thing's abdomen. The creature groaned and loosened his grip. Immediately, he whipped around slicing the guy's cheek. He touched the blood, studied it, and gave Sam an amused look.

"Are you serious?"

Sam silently prepared for another attack, but the shape-shifter seemed to have other plans. Standing a few feet out of Sam's reach, the man leaned against the wall.

"I know you have to be curious why I'm here."

Sam tried to keep his face calm, but didn't let his guard down for a second.

"The thing is," The creature's grin widened. "Hunters are not the only ones that have families... or friends."

With that, a sharp pain exploded in Sam's skull and his world went black.

Dean had just finished cleaning up the coffee table when his cell rang. He glanced at the caller id before answering.

"Yeah?"

"U-Uncle Dean?"

Instantly he had to get a check on his emotions as a fear rushed through him at the sound of his nephew's voice.

"Julius? What's wrong?"

"I-I saw a...a..."

Dean took a deep breath, forcing himself to be calm and patient with the obviously terrified six year old.

"Julius, it's gonna be okay. Just tell me what you saw."

"I-I s-s-saw... a monster!"

He heard the boy burst into tears. Running his hand through his hair, Dean took another calming breath.

"Where is your dad?"

"H-he... h-he...w-wenef af-ta d-da..."

His sobs were making him hard to understand, but Dean still got an idea of what his brother was up to.

"Julius, take a big breath for me." He wanted until he heard him comply. "Now, did he go after the monster?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, where are you?'

"I-in... the... c-car."

Dean sucked in his breath. He felt like screaming, but experience raising Sam taught him better.

"Where is the car?"

"A-a parking l-lot."

"Do you see any sighs?"

It seemed to take forever to get enough information to get a location. As he reassured Julius, he silently cursed himself for letting his brother take the car. Snatching up his coat he ran out the door and looked around. Emily had carpooled, so her Toyota was still in the driveway.

"Julius, you're going to be fine. Your dad is going to be fine."

These words were as much for the child's benefit as his own. He needed to believe it, because he knew he couldn't bear to go through life without Sammy. It didn't take him long to break into the car or hot wire it. In no time he was speeding down the street. As he drove he flipped out his phone and presses the speed dial.

"Hello?"

"Bobby, it's Dean."

"Hey Dean. Did you find out why that woman was looking for Sam?"

"Oh yeah, we found out alright!"

"Well...?"

He wanted to tell Bobby all about what had happened since the came into this freaking town, but right now all he could think about was finding Sam.

"It's complicated. How soon can you get here?"

"Burlington? I can be there in a couple of hours."

"Good. I'll see you then."

He shoved then phone back into his pocket and focused on the road ahead, praying he would not be too late.

Minuets later, he pulled up next to the Impala. As soon as he was out of the car, Dean was greeted by the tear streaked face of his nephew.

"U-Uncle Dean!" He wailed from inside the locked vehicle. "Dad's not back yet!"

With his gun already in his hands, Dean glanced around into the shadows.

"Crap," he muttered to himself, as he followed his brother's trail.

He didn't want to leave Julius like that, but Sam needed him. As he began to search the area he found Sam's gun at the mouth of a nearby ally. His blood ran cold as he thought of what that might mean. Adrenaline pounding, he raced down the ally he found Sam laying face down at the end!

"Sam!"

Dean reached him in seconds and rolled him on his back, praying he was still breathing. He let out a sigh of relief when the movement caused his brother to groan. A look of pain crossed his face and he started massaging the back of his head.

"D-Dean?"

"Hey, you okay?"

"I think so. That thing nailed me."

Dean looked around while he pulled Sam to his feet.

"Looks like it's gone now. Unless..."

His gaze met Sam's as they had the same thought.

"Julius!" The said in unison.

Dean led the way back to the seemingly empty, car.

"Julius!" Sam shouted.

The kid popped up from under the passenger seat, relief filling his face.

"Dad! Uncle Dean!" He squealed. "You're alive!"

Sam opened the door and three feet of little boy hit him head on.

"Oh Dad! I was so scared!"

He seemed uncomfortable for a minute before returning the hug.

"It's ok, Julius. I'm fine."

Dean mussed up his nephew's hair.

"Didn't I tell you I'd bring him back?"

"Thanks Uncle Dean! You really are a superhero."

Dean smiled awkwardly and got into the car. He'll let Sam have the chick-flick moments with the kid, he had a monster to kill. They decided they better get Julius back home and fed before it got too late. Leaving Emily's car in the lot, Sam and Julius climbed back into the Impala. The drive home was pretty quiet, aside from Julius raving about how hunters are better then every superhero he had ever heard of... by name. Dean didn't mind though. It was nice to get some recognition, even if it was from a six year old.

Just as they reached the house Julius sprang from the car and ran onto the porch to waited for them to join him.. When Sam got to the porch and picked up Julius, Dean could tell something was bothering him too. His brother's smile was forced, and something in his eyes was off. He probably feels guilty for not being able to kill the son of a b&*%$, Dean thought. His brother always seemed to blame himself for things that were not his fault. But still... There wasn't much he could do with a first grader running around, so Dean just kept his eye on him... on both of them.

They heated up their food and ate in the same silence as the car ride. Dean was amazed Julius knew that many superheros. After they finished , the brothers sat at the table in the dining room. Dean sharpened his silver knife while Sam did some research. Julius retreated to the coffee table after his bath and was keeping himself busy coloring pictures of his family. He positioned himself in a chair were he could see both Sam and Julius, his instincts were on overdrive.

"Any idea what the freaking thing wanted?" Dean asked quietly.

Sam didn't even look up from the screen.

"No. Didn't say."

They were interrupted by Julius. His hair was still damp and he was now dressed in a blue t-shirt that matched his plaid pajama pants.

"Something is wrong with the tv."

Dean put the blade back in the sheath and pulled himself to his feet. Sam didn't seem to hear, and just kept typing away on the laptop.

"Don't strain yourself." He mumbled as he passed his brother.

He followed Julius into the living room and saw a picture of the backyard on the tv.

"See?"

Dean chuckled at his kids confusion.

"It's the security cameras." He explain. "It's so we can watch out for monsters. Here."

He was about to put it back onto some cartoons when a view of the dinning room came into view.

"Ah, d%*# it!" He yelled, simultaneously drawing his gun. "Julius, stay behind me!"

He crossed into the dining room in two quick strides, aiming the weapon just above the computer.

"Dean! Wha-"

He cocked the 9mm.

"Where's my brother, you son of a b&*^$!?"

Sam woke up to find himself in complete darkness with a throbbing headache. When he tried to move, tight ropes cut into his wrists. He could smell sewage beyond the rough blanket that covered him from head to toe, immediately having flashbacks of St Louis. He thought back to the last thing he remembered and was filled with fear.

"Julius!" He whispered.

He fought hard, ignoring the pain, thinking only of getting back to his son. He prayed Dean had got to him in time.

"Looks like someone's awake."

He stopped struggling and focused on the taunting voice. The blanket was ripe away and the light from the lantern hurt his eyes.

"Where's Julius?"

"The brat? He's back at home with his uncle..." It smiled, "and daddy."

Sam forced himself to control his breathing, when he realized one of these freaks was with his family.

"If you hurt them I swear..."

"Oh, calm down. The boy is of little interest to me."

"And my brother?"

The thing smiled wickedly.

"We'll see."

He went over to a table int the corner and began sifting through a group of small items placed there. Sam recognized some of the stuff as being his, while the rest must have come from previous victims.

"Why are you doing this?" He grunted, still pulling at the ropes on his wrists.

"I already told you."

Sam's head was pounding, as he tried to remember what was said in the ally right before he got knocked out.

"You said you had friends."

"No," The shape-shifter corrected, admiring Sam's knife, "I said hunters aren't the only ones with family and friends."

He crossed the dank room and stood right in front of Sam.

"You didn't know that did you? I bet you hunters just think we are mindless animals without feelings."

Sam leaned back as the tip of the blade softly touched his cheek.

"But you're wrong! We care about people. I have loved every woman I have ever killed. I didn't want to kill them, but they couldn't live with me and I couldn't let them live without me."

Sam looked at him in disgust.

"You sick b&s%a#d."

Glaring, the shape-shifter pressed the knife point just below Sam's shoulder. He cried out at the sharp pain and felt the warm blood soaking his sleeve.

"You care about people too. Your brother... your son... fellow hunters..." He pushed the blade in a little farther. "How would you feel if someone started hunting you?"

Sam focused on breathing through the pain as the thing quickly pulled the weapon out of his arm. The creature studied the red tipped knife watching Sam's blood run down toward the hilt.

"You and your brother remember St Louis?" He asked, his voice sounding far away.

"You mean when one of you freaks framed him for murder?"

Sam felt his arm sting as the shape-shifter cut him again. It wasn't deep, but it hurt like h&*%.

"That's exactly what I mean! And it serves you right. He hadn't done anything to you and you two tried to kill him!"

"He murdered three people!"

"And you murdered him!"

Sam thought back on that night. The creature had gotten the jump on him by impersonating a friend from college and was intending to frame Dean for his murder. Sam had fought back, but would have lost if Dean hadn't shown up when he did.

"Now then," his captor continued, "the answer to this question will decide who will live and who will die."

Bringing the bloody knife uncomfortable close to Sam's eye, the creature's face twisted into a wicked smile, his voice dripping with pure hatred.

"Which of you shot my brother?"

* * *

That's it for now. I will try to get the next chapter posted ASAP, but with my unofficial editor favoring "Divided, Not Conquered", it may take a couple of days.

I hope you guys don't mind, but I am going to be publishing as fast as I can get these proof read. You see, the original outline has about 20 chapters and I have decided this is the first of four that are all connected. (I don't want it to be Christmas before the whole story is told.) So, I hope you guys, and my unofficial editor, don't get board. The best is yet to come. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry, I've been away from my computer. Let me know what you think.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Julius was tugging on his shirt in an attempt to move the gun away from it's intended target, but Dean didn't flinch.

"Uncle Dean! Don't shoot Dad! Please, Uncle Dean!"

It took a lot for Dean not to pull the trigger and end the b%s&a#d. The only thing keeping it breathing, was the fact it knew where Sam was... but that knowledge alone would not be enough for long.

"Julius." The Creature called. "Get away from Dean. Come over here-"

"That's not your dad."

"Julius, come here."

"Stay behind me, Julius."

"Julius. It's me, your superhero, the one who kills scary monsters..."

The Thing mimicked one of Sam's innocent smiles. Dean felt the tugging on his shirt stop and a strong sense of panic rose in him. The Thing's "Sam act" was good,fooling him only proved that, and Julius having the ability to tell the difference was about a snowballs chance in h%&$. Dean was sure if he looked down he would see the wide, fearful, eyes of someone who was about to witness his father's murder. Sam would be pissed if he scared the kid by shooting the image of his father right in front of him. H&*%, he'd been a little disturbed when he had to shoot his own copy when he caught it trying to kill Sam, and he knew what was happening! Dean understood how easily a shape-shifter could convince a person they were who they claimed to be, he had run into more then one on his hunts. But, as good as they were, there was no mistaking the glowing eyes on the surveillance tape... only Julius didn't know that!

"Dad?"

"JULIUS NO!"

In one horrifying second Julius took a step towards the monster. With a look of evil triumph, the shape-shifter lunged toward the little boy. ,sensing the danger, Julius let out a terrified shriek and dropped to the floor. As soon as he heard the scream, Dean fired two shots. Dean took in the carnage, and experienced one of the few moments when he hated his job. Putting his gun away, Dean squatted down and put a hand on his nephew's back. The boy was curled into a tight ball, shaking with sobs.

"You sh-shot him..." His voice a quivering whisper. "You shot my d-dad... he tried to h-hurt me and you sh-shot h-him... how c-could you... h-he was y-your brother..."

Dean looked over at the body sprawled across the floor, it's cold eyes staring at nothing.

"Julius. It wasn't your dad."

"Y-yes he was... he was my s-superhero..."

"It was a monster pretending to be your dad."

Julius peeked up at him.

"But... he looked just like him..."

"It's a shape-shifter."

"Like an a-actor?"

"Something like that."

"How can you tell?"

He was still trembling, but at least his voice was getting stronger. Dean pointed up at the camera in the corner and explained how the eyes glow on screen, and ripped off the creature's ear to prove his point. Shuttering the kid tried to hide his face. Dean let out a frustrated sigh, every instinct told him to get out of there. If the Thing had been impersonating Sam that meant his real brother had to be hidden away somewhere, possibly hurt, possibly ... He had to find him ... but Sam would kill him if he didn't take care of Julius first ..... and where the h$%& was Bobby!

He ripped Julius up off the ground and ran back to the Impala. He put the boy on the passenger seat and sped off toward where Sam was last seen. Once he got there, Dean went to the trunk grabbing a flashlight and a long hunting knife. He went back to the drivers side door and leaned across the seat to his nephew, handing him the knife

"Lock all the doors and stay hidden." He instructed.

Julius looked at the weapon.

"But...but I'm not allowed to play with knives!"

"Then don't play with it."

Dean shut the door and ran down the ally. His eyes scanned the ground until he found a grate leading to the sewers.

"Hang on Sammy." He muttered, and entered the dark tunnel.

Sam groaned as his tormentor cut his arm again. His face was bruises and bloody and he barely had the energy to keep from screaming every time the blade bit his skin.

"You're trying my patience! Tell me who killed him!"

"Bite me."

"I'm beginning to regret telling my friend to lay low. The things he could be doing to your brother and that sweet little boy."

"Leave them alone!" Sam growled.

"Maybe if you aren't going to talk, I should give him a little call."

Sam glared at him, wishing he could rip the things head off. He watched him as best he could, as his captor slowly circled to pillar he was tied to.

"Dean would kill him if he tried anything!"

"I highly doubt your brother would be a match for Ivan."

"Well think again, b*&$#!"

Sam felt a wave of relief upon hearing his brother's voice... right before the cold steel pressed across his neck. He could see Dean, gun raised, walking slowly into the room. The creature had moved behind him now, his arm wrapped around to his throat.

"Let him go."

"Tell me who killed my brother!"

Dean looked confused.

"The shape-shifter in St Louis." Sam explained.

"You've got to be kidding me! That what this is about!"

"Yes!" The creature behind him hissed. "And I will make his murderer feel my pain."

"No one is killing my brother!"

"Ah!" The thing sounded pleased. "So your the one! Ivan thought it was you."

"Yeah, Ivan? He's dead too."

Sam felt the knife quiver under his chin.

"Y-you killed Ivan?"

"And I'll kill you too if you bring that thing any closer to my brother."

"You killed my best friend?"

It let out a blood curdling scream and the knife move swiftly away from his neck. Just as Dean took a step forward, the sound of breaking glass echoed in the room and an instant later fire swept across the floor. Sam could feel the heat on his back as smoke began to fill the room, burning his lungs.

"Dean!" He croaked.

"Hold on!"

He felt more then saw Dean at his side and the ropes began to loosen. When he was free he looped his arm over Dean's shoulders and they made their way down the tunnel. Dizzy from the loss of blood and choking on smoke, Sam barely had the strength to keep moving. He focused on the words Dean was whispering.

"Stay with me Sammy... We'll be fine... We gotta get back to Julius... Keep up with me, little brother... We're almost there... Bobby's on his way... Just hold on."

An eternity later, Dean helped him out of the sewer tunnels and into the cool night. Sam collapsed on his back, gasping for air. Dean leaned over him, a worried look on his face as he took in the numerous cuts that covered his arms.

"It's okay." He gasped. "They're not deep."

Dean didn't look convinced. He helped Sam to his feet and supported him on the way back to the car.

"You called Bobby?"

"Yeah, if we are going against Kate AND the manic back there, as well as whoever else saw your website, we are going to need all the help we can get."

Sam nodded in agreement, scanning for Julius as he neared the Impala. Adrenaline surged through him when he saw the six inch weapon in his son's hand.

"What the h*&#, Dean! Why does Julius have that knife?"

"Because he doesn't know how to shoot yet."

"Yet!?" Sam looked at his brother in shock. "Dean, he's six years old!"

"So?"

"So! He could hurt himself!"

"Come on Sam, I had knives bigger then that when I was six."

"Julius isn't you."

They had to put there conversation on hold, because at that moment they reached the car. Julius hopped up and down in the back seat, while Dean opened the door.

"Dad! What happened?" His face a mix of fear and horror.

Sam looked down at his blood soaked shirt.

"It's not as bad as it seems. I'm going to be fine."

Sam allowed Dean to help him into the passenger seat while Julius got the first aide kit from the back. Dean cut off the ruined clothing and carefully cleaned Sam's arms.

"I'm gonna kill that son of a b*%^$!" Dean muttered.

Sam glanced at Julius, but it didn't look like he was paying much attention to anything but the knife wounds. There had to be at least a dozen of them. Suddenly he reached forward and yanked on Sam's ear.

"Julius!" Sam exclaimed, more out of shock then pain.

"I-I'm sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were you."

Sam looked at Dean, wondering how much Julius saw of the shape-shifter.

"Who hurt you, Dad?"

"A monster."

"Are you and Uncle Dean going to kill it?"

"You bet your a%$ we are going to kill it!"

He looked back at Julius, seeing fear and pain in the kid's eyes. He remembered all the times his Dad had come back from a hunt broken and bleeding, no kid deserved this.

"Do ... do you always get hurt?"

Sam forced a smiled that he hoped would reassure him.

"No, Buddy, not always. But don't worry, it's not that bad and Dean is really good at patching me up. I'll be fine."

Julius nodded and continued to lean on the back of the passenger seat. Not long after, Dean finished wrapping up his arms and climbed behind the glanced at his brother on the way back to the house.

"Do you think we could stop by a drive thru on the way back."

Dean gave him a harsh glare.

"What?"

"Since I kinda missed dinner... I thought..."

"Sammy," He said in a warning tone, "the last time you went through a freaking drive thru you wound up in the sewer!"

"Yeah... but I'm sorta... hungry."

"Well sorta suck it up!"

Sam gave him a pleading puppy dog look he had perfected when he was three. Dean groaned and turned into the drive thru.

"B&*^%." He mumbled.

"Jerk." Sam smiled.

Just as he finished his burger and fries they pulled up to the house and heard a woman screaming.

"Emily!" Julius yell and bolted from the car.

"Julius!" Sam was right after him.

Sam grabbed him right before he reached the front door and Dean rushed in passed him, gun drawn. Sam followed, keeping Julius behind him, and saw why Emily was screaming. In a pool of blood lay a dead body, that looked just like him, with it's ear torn completely off. Dean was trying to calm her down when her eyes met his. With one more scream she fainted into Dean's arms.

"Oh, this is just great!" He vented.

Suddenly Julius screamed.

"Stranger! With a gun!"

Sam turned, drew his weapon, and saw who was standing in the doorway.

"Um... hi Bobby." Sam said, as put away his gun.

"Thanks for coming." Dean grunted, apparently still holding Emily.

Bobby lowered his gun, looked from the floor, to Emily, to Dean, to Sam, to Julius, to Dean, and back to Sam.

"What the h*&% kinda mess did you idjits get into this time!?"

Sam was about to answer when Dean cleared his throat and motioned to Julius. He was hiding behind Sam's legs, staring wide-eyed at the older hunter.

"Julius, this is Uncle Bobby." Sam squatted down to his level. "He's a friend."

"Hello Uncle Bobby." He said quietly holding out his hand.

"Hello Julius." He returned the handshake.

The child looked back at his dad.

"Is he really a nice man?" He whispered.

"Yes." Sam stated. "he is a very nice man."

"Hold me Sam," Dean mocked, "that was beautiful,"

"Shut up jerk."

"How you hurt me so. . ."

Julius took a step forward and looked at Bobby.

"You owe a dime to the swear jar."

Bobby looked stunned as Sam heard Dean snickering from the area of the couch.

"And Uncle Dean, you owe 45 cents."

"Hey wait a minute!" Dean protested.

Now only Sam was laughing.

"You swore two times before dinner, two times when we brought the monster home and three times in the car. That is seven times, but you paid a quarter which equals two and a half times. So you need to pay for four and a half times, so 45 cents."

"That's my boy." Sam chuckled as he picked up his son. "Now, say goodnight to everyone."

"Goodnight Uncle Dean. Goodnight Bobby."

Sam carried him back to his room, careful to make sure that he had his back to the dead thing on the floor. As he tucked him into his race car bed under his homemade blue and white quilt, they heard raised voices from the living room. Obviously, Dean told Bobby who Julius was.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Buddy?"

"Is Uncle Bobby a superhero too?"

"Yup. He helps us a lot."

"Is he gonna help you kill the monster that hurt you?"

Sammy nodded.

"Uncle Bobby is really good at stopping monsters."

"So, now I have three superheros taking care of me?"

He smiled.

"You bet. Now go to sleep. We can talk more in the morning."

Before he left, Sam doubled check the salt lines, security camera, and protective symbols around the room.

"Dad, what are you doing."

"Um... hero stuff. Go to sleep."

"Goodnight, Dad. I love you."

Sam watched his little boy fall quickly asleep, brushing his chocolate colored curls off his forehead.

"Goodnight, son." He whispered. "I love you too."

As Sam brought Julius upstairs, Dean was busy laying Emily on the couch.

"Dean what the h^%$ is going on here?"

"This is Emily Redmond." He explained, placing a pillow under her head. "She was looking for Sam so he could meet his son."

"His WHAT!?"

"I couldn't believe it either! Apparently, Sam hooked up with some actress when he was seventeen and got her pregnant. She got killed and now Emily here took up the search for Julius' dad. Only, she wasn't so subtle."

"Your telling me! She announced on the website that she found him."

"She what!"

"Ash called me this morning. I tried to call you..."

"We were driving through a dead zone."

Dean punched the wall. This trip was getting worst all the time!

"Clam down Dean."

He shook his head, pointing at the shape-shifter on the floor.

"That thing and his friend came here because Sam was here. A vampire killed Heather because she was Julius' mom! D$^& it Bobby, this whole thing is spiraling out of control!"

Dean braced his hands against the wall.

"Well figure this out." He felt Bobby's hand on his shoulder. "Let's just take it one step at a time."

Dean nodded in agreement and heard a moan come from the couch next to him. He looked down as Emily's eyes flew open and she sat straight up.

"Sam!" She shrieked. "He's dead! Sam's dead!"

"Calm down. He's not dead." Dean said softly.

"Yes he is! I saw him!"

Just then, Sam had the good sense to walk in the room.

"Hi Emily." He said cheerfully.

She saw him and and went hysterical. Brilliant, Dean thought bitterly, why don't you just cover yourself in flour and wrap chains around your body!

"Emily!" Dean gave her a hard shake to snap her out of it. "Sam is fine."

"But... over there... I saw..."

"A shape-shifter."

"A what?"

She looked at Dean, then to the people behind him, and back to him.

"What are you..."

"It's a shape-shifter." Dean explained. "A monster that takes on the form of another person, in this case Sam."

Emily shook her head and stood up.

"No that's impossible! That's-" She looked back to the dining room floor and screamed again.

Dean swore, if she screamed one more time, he was going to hit her. She gave Dean a harsh glare.

"You lied to me! Your not killer rat hunters! Your... your... FREAKS!"

With that she ran from the room. Bobby gave them a strange look, as the went to move the corpse off the floor.

"Killer RAT hunters?"

"Don't ask." Dean mumbled, glaring at Sam's smirk.

The amusement on his brother's face faded when heard a small sound.

"Emily!" Julius whined, his voice sleepy.

They saw Emily come back in the room carrying a suitcase, a backpack, and a very tired child.

"Where do you think you are going with him?" Sam demanded.

Dean moved to back up his brother on his right while Bobby flanked him on the left.

"You people are nothing but crazy. I'm not going to spend another minute here," Her voice full of determination, "and I'm taking Julius with me."

* * *

Poor Julius, witnesses another supernatural death. At least now he has three "superheros" to protect him. I'll post the next chapter... as soon as my "editor" get done working on chapter 7 of "Divided, Not Conquered".


	7. Chapter 7

I am SOOOOO sorry! I have to repost this because my STUPID computer put up the unedited version. So, after my "editor" wanted to hack into the website and fix it, I put up this one. Again, sorry to anyone that read the wrong one. On the bright side, you now know why I have such an awesome "editor". :)

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Sam stood his ground, blocking Emily's escape rout.

"You are not taking my son."

"Watch me."

She took another step and stopped. He couldn't see Bobby or Dean, but knew they were backing him up. Emily looked scared, but whether is was because of the dead monster on the floor or the fact she was facing off against three armed men, not one of them under six feet tall, was beyond him. Sam's eyes were focused on the little boy, resting his head on her shoulder. He looked so fragile when he was asleep, and Sam wasn't going to let her take him into the world with the name of Winchester putting a target on his back.

"You people are nuts." Her voice was starting to shake. "I'm getting Julius out of here before he gets hurt."

"Look,"Dean's voice came from his right, "I know your scared, and I don't blame you for taking off. In fact I prefer it. But your not doing the kid any favors by taking him."

"Like it or not," Sam continued, "Julius is a part of this. He's safest with us."

Emily shook her head. He could see she was struggling between terror and determination.

"No, I'm not going to just leave him with you homicidal freaks!"

She took as step to her right and Sam felt Dean move forward.

"Y-you're all crazy!"

"Ma'am?" Bobby spoke softly. "I think it's a good idea for you to go, but, and I speak from experience here, the last thing you want to do is get between these boys and their family. Just let us take care of him. We'll protect him."

"From what?"

"Something far more dangerous then killer rats," Dean stated, "I can promise you that."

She looked at each of the hunters in turn, but Sam kept his eyes locked on the child in her arms.

"W-what's out there?"

"A whole lot of crazy." Dean answered.

"And you can stop it?"

Her voice was on the line between trust and hysteria, as her eyes locked with Sam's.

"We'll do whatever it takes." He promised.

"Nothing's going to get near that boy while we have anything to say about it." Bobby chimed in.

Sam took a step forward and reached for Julius.

"Please."

She hesitated, but then handed him the sleeping boy. Julius stirred, but didn't wake up. Emily gave him the backpack and picked up her suitcase.

"I still don't feel right about leaving him like this."

Sam gave her a sad smile.

"It's what Heather would have wanted."

Emily teared up and walked out the door. Dean came up and slapped him on the back.

"Jeez, Sammy, you're just full of those chick-flick moments, aren't you?"

"Bite me, Jerk."

"B^&%*."

Sam was halfway out of the room when Emily came back inside.

"Where's my car?"

The next morning Dean came into the kitchen to the wonderful smells of breakfast. Coffee, eggs, bacon,and potatoes. It was one step away from pure heaven.

"Thanks, Bobby." He said, taking the plate he was offered.

"So, do you boys have a game plan?"

"Kill Kate and anything else that shows up."

"Great plan." He said, sarcastically. "Now how about we put a little more detail into it?"

Dean took a big bite of potatoes.

"We don't even know who or what we are up against."

"Well, I can't help much with that, but I called Ash this morning. He's already taken down the web site, so thats one less thing to worry about."

"Thanks." He mumbled.

Dean kicked himself for not thinking of it before. He looked up when Sam came in.

"Morning Sammy."

"Morning."

He thanked Bobby for his own plate and leaned against the counter.

"Have we figured out a plan yet?"

"Besides 'killing Kate', no." Bobby answered.

The three hunters ate in silence for a few minuets before Julius came in. Fully dress and well groomed, he looked better then the rest of them.

"Whoa," Dean grinned, "you got a hot date?"

Julius gave him a strange look.

"I'm only six, Uncle Dean. Where is Emily?"

Dean looked at Sam, who cleared his throat.

"Emily... she had to go away for a little while."

"When will she come back?"

"I don't know."

Personally, Dean wondered if she was ever coming back, but he wasn't about to say that in front of the kid. He took another drink of coffee and looked at his nephew.

"So squirt, what do you want to do today?"

"Don't I have to go to school? Education is important."

If there was any doubt before this was Sam's kid it was gone now.

"Please don't tell me you play soccer."

"What?"

"Never mind." Dean laughed at the look on Sam's face. "Today you are not going to school. Today you are having Dean time."

"Dean time?"

"Yeah, you'll love it." Dean glanced over to Sam a lazy grin on his face, "Sammy always did."

"What are we gonna do?"

"Fun stuff."

Julius smiled.

"That sounds great Uncle Dean. Dad, can I have Dean time?"

Sam grinned and shook his head.

"Sure, why not. Just finish your breakfast first."

Julius scarfed down his food and ran off to get his art supplies.

"Sam, you may regret that." Bobby sighed.

Dean looked up.

"Hey!" He protested. "Sammy used to love Dean time."

"Wait a second, was this the same Dean time that got us grounded to Pastor Jim's for a week."

Dean smiled at the memory.

"But you have to admit, it was fun."

~~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sammy rubbed his eyes and yawned. He had been up half the night, not wanting to leave Julius alone. Now, since his son was having "Dean time", and Bobby was checking into any omens in the area, he was finally able to relax a little. He stretched, his sock clad feet hanging off the end of the couch, there were certain disadvantages to being 6'4''. Sitting up, he decided to go out back and see if Bobby had carved the protective symbols in the trees yet, but when he pulled one of his shoes on, he froze.

"He didn't" He muttered.

Carefully removing his shoe, Sam groaned at the brown, sticky substance that covered his toes. Stripping off his sock, he headed into the kitchen, where Dean and Julius were making rice crispy treats.

"Good afternoon, sleeping beauty."

"Hi Dad."

Sam glared at his brother and raised up the sock.

"What? I thought you loved peanut butter."

Dean gave him a wide grin.

"I told you he would be mad." Julius murmured.

Before Sam could open his mouth Bobby called him back to the living room.

He stormed in, a sock in one hand and a shoe in the other. Bobby gave him a once over, smirking as he noticed the cream on the white cotton.

"Don't say it."

"I'm not saying anything." Bobby muffled his laughter. "Do you need another pair of socks?"

"No, I have some." He mumbled, heading to his duffel in the corner. "What do you want."

"I had Ash keep an eye on weather alerts for us and it looks like we got trouble."

"Demon trouble?"

Bobby nodded grimly and Sam ran his hand through his hair. First vampires, then shape-shifters, now demons? How much more could they take!

"We have to get Julius out of here."

"Sam, we don't have enough time."

"Well then what are we going to do? I can't let them get to Julius."

"Is something coming after me?"

Sam turned to see Dean and Julius had moved into the dinning room. His son was staring at him, fear in his eyes. Dean looked up, silently asking if he should handle it or not. Sam held up he hand and got down to Julius' level.

"You know I would never let anything happen to you."

"But what about you? What if you get hurt again? What if you get killed like mom?"

The boy looked like he was on the verge of tears

"I'll be fine."

"That's what you said before! Then the monster took you and hurt you!"

Now he was on the verge of hysteria. Sam pulled him into a hug.

"It's gonna be okay." He soothed.

"I don't want you to die dad." He sobbed into Sam's shoulder. "I don't want to loose you like I l

lost mom."

"You won't loose him."

Dean came up and put his hand on the back of Julius' head.

"Your dad is looking out for you and I am looking out for him."

"You promise?"

He looked up toward Dean with wide tear filled eyes.

"I made that promise a long time ago."

"What if the monsters get him?"

"Then I'll kill the monsters and save him, just like yesterday."

"But he got hurt!"

Sam used his thumb to wipe the tears off his son's cheek.

"That's what happens sometimes."

"Yeah," Dean added, "Spiderman got hurt sometimes too."

"But you guys are better then Spiderman."

"True," Dean smiled, "But sometimes we get hurt a little. But don't worry about it. Anything that hurts Sam will be hurting a lot more … trust me."

Julius dried his face with his sleeve.

"Okay." He sniffed.

Sam looked up at Dean, who looked awkwardly around the room, neither were quite used to dealing with little boys, much less ones that were crying. Sam thoughts raced to come up with something to cheer up his son.

"Hey Julius, now that 'Dean Time' is over, why don't you go get your crayons and the two of us can color?"

He nodded and hurried off to his room.

"Who says 'Dean Time' is over?"

"My sock."

~~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean sharpened his machete while simultaneously keeping an eye on Sam and Julius. He inserted the blade into it's sheath before picking up his beer and walking across the foyer into the living room, smirking at the picture his brother had in front of him.

"Dude, are you drawing a pony?"

Sam glared up at him.

"It's a horse."

"Riiiiight." Dean chuckled. "You just keep believing that."

He took a swig of his beer and checked the salt lines on the window.

"Why do you pour salt all over the house?"

"It keeps out monsters." Sam explained.

"What kind of monsters?"

Dean exchanged glances with Sam before answering.

"The evil kind."

"Is there a good kind?"

"Why all the questions all of the sudden?"

"I'm just wondering, Dad. What's out there and whats not?"

"There's no such thing as unicorns." Dean stated.

"How do you know?"

Sam looked confused.

"How do we no what?"

"That there are no unicorns."

Sam looked at Dean, but he wasn't about to touch that one. He left Sam at a loss for words and went to see what Bobby was doing.

He found the older hunter in the backyard putting symbols on trees.

"Need any help?"

"No. How's the boy?"

"Sam is explaining how unicorns don't exist."

Bobby gave him a strange look.

"How did THAT come up?"

"He was curious. I swear, Bobby, that kid acts more and more like Sam every day."

"He's a good kid." Bobby looked at the paint in his hands. "Do you know what you are going to do with him after you kill Kate?"

Dean's mood darkened.

"Let's focus on killing the b*^%& first."

"You can't put this off forever, Dean. You and Sam need to decide where Julius goes from here."

"Why me? He's not my son."

"No … he's your brothers son. And like it or not, what happens to Julius now effects you too."

Dean turned and walked around the side of the house. He leaned his back against the porch railing. Even though it was only dusk, the street lamps bathed the street in light. He sighed, not wanting to think about what Bobby said, but unable to keep thee thoughts out of his mind. He knew d*$& well what happened to Julius would effect him. Sam was becoming so attach to Julius and now … it looked like he might be hunting alone again very soon. Frustrated he kicked at the dirt, then took a moment to compose himself before heading inside. Just as he headed for the front door the street light began to flicker. Dean grabbed the flask out of his pocket and scanned the area. Trouble was here.

* * *

So, that's what it is SUPPOSE to be. Again, sorry for the mix-up.

Also, this chapter was written during a tranistional pireod in the story line (meaning I made a few changes to my original outline) so I'm sorry if people are acting out of character. Just bear with me a bit longer and it will smooth out. :)


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so sorry this took so long. I was on this writing craze for my other story then when it ended I had the worst case of writer's block. (Sorry) Anyway, I'm going to be working on this quite a bit ... since I have already started work on the sequel. :) Enjoy.

* * *

******Chapter 8**

Dean stood with his back to the house, scanning for the danger he knew was there. The wind has stopped and the night had gone deathly silent, then he saw her. She was at least six inches shorter then him with raven black hair and bright brown eyes. She had a sweet smile that masked the evil inside her.

"Hello Dean."

He said nothing as she walked toward him, the holy water hidden from sight, but was ready when needed.

"Where's the kid?"

"Nowhere that you can get him."

She moved closer, her eyes dropping to his hand that held the flask.

"Holy water? I thought you might be a little more original then that."

He shot her smirk, but kept up his guard.

"I don't know. Sometimes the classics just work best."

She smiled, amused.

"Why are you doing this?" She demanded, "the kid is nothing to you. Just a wimpy brat without a mommy. With him out of the way you and your brother can hit the road again, the way you like it. If he stays Sam will leave you alone … all alone."

He glared at her, his fingers twitched around the holy water.

"Sammy's little boy. You can already see it can't you? The way he favors Julius over you, the way he cares more about the child then what's going on with you. He'll beg for Julius life, why not yours. Face it, your better off without him."

Her words stung, but Dean knew better then to trust a demon. They specialized in messing with your head.

"Alright, do you provided a replacement brother? Is there a finding fee?"

She shrugged.

"Okay, I guess we will have to do this the hard way."

With a flick of her wrist Dean was flung into the air. He felt himself crashing through something thin, but hard, and was aware of the splintering wood tearing at his skin. He vaguely remembered his body crashing into the wall, and almost as if slow motion sliding down the until he lay dazed on the floor, panicked shouts reverberated in his head. . .

"Dean! Dean, are you okaaa. . . ?"

He felt someone shaking him as he forced his eyes open, not even remembering closing them. His brother was leaning over him, concern written on his face. He glanced passed Sam and saw the remains of the front door. He noticed the salt line had been broken during the flight, but could barely move to fix it. He managed to grab Sam's arm.

"Demon ..." he grunted "... salt … fix … line ..."

Sam nodded and turned towards the door, but he wasn't fast enough. Dean watched the demon throw him like a rag doll into the other wall before stepping into the house.

"Dad!" Julius shrieked.

Dean forced himself up watching the place were Sam hit. Julius was at his side sobbing while his brother lay motionless on the floor. Dean held his breath and after a few seconds, that seemed more like hours, Sam stirred and moaned. At least he's alive, Dean thought, and turned back to the demon. He how longed to knock that satisfied smirk off her face.

"I'll make you a little deal, Dean. Give me the boy, and I'll let Sammy live."

"Go to h&^$."

"Been there, done that." She looked over at Julius.

He had tears in his eyes, but was fighting to hide it. He moved to shield his dad and defiantly faced the woman.

"Y-you won't hurt him again!" His voice was not even close to firm. "I-if you do, Uncle Dean will kill you!"

"You put a lot of faith in your uncle, too bad he can't help you now."

She looked over at Dean and he felt invisible hands push him to the wall. He tried to move, he had to help them. He struggled in vain as he saw the terror in his nephew's eyes.

"So, kid, I'll make you the same deal. You come with me, and I won't hurt your daddy or uncle. If you don't ..."

She smiled and held out her hands in a apologetic gesture. She turned back to Dean and suddenly it was as if iron fingers had wrapped around his neck. He gasped and tried to claw them away, but his body refused to move.

"Stop it!" Julius screamed. "Please, stop! Your gonna kill him!"

"Only if you don't come with me."

Dean started to see black spots filling his vision. Sounds were starting to fade when suddenly he could breath again. He dropped to his hands and knees, greedily sucking in much needed oxygen. For one fearful second he was afraid he would look up and see them gone, but her agonizing screams said otherwise.

Sitting up, he saw white steam rising from the demon's back as she twisted in agony. Bobby stood behind her flask in hand, ready to give her another taste while Dean struggled to his feet.

"You okay, Dean?"

"I'm good," he choked, as he hurried over to Sam.

Sam had a nice big gash on his forehead and was barely conscious. He turned his head slowly and groaned, his face showing the pain he was feeling.

"It's okay, Sammy." He whispered, "Your gonna be fine."

Dean looked over at Julius, who was clinging to his dad, tears streaming down his face.

"Get … Julius ..." Sam gasped.

Dean grabbed the boy and ran towards the kitchen. Half way there he felt a familiar force throw him and the screaming child onto the stairs. Remembering how they fortified the house, Dean changed course and raced up to Julius' room, the demon b*&^% right behind him. He tried not to think about what that meant for Sam and Bobby as he shoved his nephew under the bed.

"Stay here." He ordered and turned back to the door … but she was right there.

Glaring, she flipped her wrist again and he was pinned to the wall.

"You filthy bag of skin." She spat. "I would have been happy to let you all live, but now it looks as though I will have to kill you … one by one."

She gave him a wicked smile.

"So who should I start with? … Your brother?"

Dean glared at her, but the pressure on his chest was barely allowing him enough air to stay conscious.

"Oh, don't pass out Dean. I'll only just begun."

She smiled at him and turned her eyes to the bed.

"Come on out Julius. You don't want to miss anything."

She watched the bed, but there were no signs of movement.

"I know you heard your mommy screaming while she was eaten alive. If you don't come out, you'll get to hear your uncle die too."

A barely audible whimper came from Julius' hiding place, but he stayed out of sight.

"Have it your way."

The demon turned her eyes back to Dean, smiling in sadistic pleasure. She held out her hand and Dean screamed in agony. It felt as if an invisible hand was trying to rip out his heart. Everything faded away as his world focused on the feeling ripping through his chest. As quickly as it began, the tearing sensation stopped. Dean panted as his head dropped to his chest, trying to breath through the lingering pain. He looked up and saw Julius standing in front of him, trembling as he looked up at the monster in the doorway. He spread his arms out, as if he could shield Dean from the woman's power.

"I-if you w-want me ..." he stammered, clearly trying to be brave, "come and g-get me."

Her smile widened as she took a step through the door.

******~~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam forced himself to his feet, ignoring the ringing in his ears. He had heard his brother's screams and didn't even want to think about what the sudden silence meant. All he knew was that the two most important people in his life were upstairs with a demon. He reached out to the wall, suddenly dizzy.

"Sam?"

He looked over to see Bobby coming through the door holding his arm and tried to remember why he was outside. He shook his head trying to clear it, and winced when he realized he had also a headache. When he looked up again, Bobby was at his side.

"I'm okay … we … we have to get upstairs ... Dean … Julius ..."

Bobby took his arm and the two made their way as fast as Sam could move. He pulled himself up the steps, pushing aside his pain, needing to get to his family. When he reached Julius' room he froze. Just inside the doorway was the demon. She looked back at them, anger burning in her eyes.

"D-Dean?" He called passed her.

His brother leaned into view and smiled.

"Hey Sammy, how you feeling?"

"W-wha-?"

Dean's grin widened and he jerked a thumb to the corner of the room.

"Your little Davie here just faced his first giant."

Sam moved to see Julius huddled in the corner. He was obviously scared, but sent Dean a shy smile. Sam thought hard about what that could mean, but his head was still foggy from hitting the wall. He looked over at Bobby who was giving the boy a proud look.

"Bobby?"

"Look up, Sam."

He peered up at the ceiling and laughed.

"Julius … you … you got her into that?"

He nodded.

"The kid lured her right into it." Dean smirked at the demon. "So, how does it feel having a six year old get you into a devil trap?"

She turned her glare from Sam to Dean.

"I wouldn't look so smug if I were you. I'm just a messenger, it's my boss you really need to worry about."

Sam shot a worried glance toward Julius. If this demon was going to start talking, he didn't want Julius to hear it, but there was no way to get him around the demon in the doorway.

"You hear that, little boy. Your going to lure more monsters here." She taunted. "Monsters that will kill you daddy an-"

She screamed as the holy water made contact with her back.

"Keep talking," Sam dared, eyes flashing, "I got plenty more."

She turned back toward him.

"When I get out of this, you will be the first I kill."

She whipped around, facing the boy in the corner.

"You hear that, Julius. I'm gonna kill your daddy!"

"No she won't." Dean promised pulling a brown book out of his coat pocket. "She won't get the chance."

Sam's eyes darted from the book to his son and back again.

"Dean wait."

Dean had just just started on the first syllable, when he paused and gave Sam a puzzled look.

"I don't want Julius to see this."

Dean let out and exasperated sigh and the demon laughed.

"What's that matter, Sammy. Am I too scary looking for your little baby's eyes?"

"Shut up, b&^*%." Dean ordered, as he also glanced at the boy.

Sam watched as he weighed the options, knowing his decision before he even opened his mouth.

"Dean, no. You are not doing it in front of him."

"Sam, what do you want to do? Leave her there?"

"I can live with that." The demon offered.

The brothers ignored her.

"There has to be another way."

"Well there isn't."

"You shouldn't have brought him into a room with a devils trap blocking the only exit."

"Maybe next time you shouldn't put the devil's trap right by the door."

"Who says there will BE a next time!"

"Oh," the demon smirked, "I'm sure there will be."

Sam kept his eyes locked on his brother, but flicked some holy water in her direction. She shrieked, but his focus stayed with Dean.

"I don't want him here for this."

"Sure Sam, I'm sure she'll let yo take him passed her if you ask nicely."

"Absolutely," she said sweetly, "I promise I won't bite. . .hard."

Sam's glare passed between his brother and the demon. He turned when he felt Bobby's hand on his shoulder.

"I hate to admit it, Sam, but your brother is right. We can't get Julius, or Dean, out of there until she is gone."

Sam looked back into his son's wide fearful eyes. He had already seen so much, why did he have to see this. He cursed and muttered under his breath.

"Sam?"

Dean had the book ready. Sam held up his hand, motioning to wait for just another second.

"Julius, I want you to go under your bed and use your pillow to cover your ears."

He nodded and hurried to do what Sam asked. A few seconds after he was out of sight, Sam nodded to Dean. As he read the Latin chant the demon started to jerk and groan until, finally, the black smoke rushed out of them with an ear piercing scream and the body collapsed in a heap.

While Bobby checked to see if the host was still alive, Sam rushed to the bed and pulled out his son. Julius flung his arms around Sam's neck, shaking with sobs. He held him close, wishing he could take his pain and fear from him.

"I-is … is she ..."

"She's gone, and she will never hurt you again."

* * *

So, what did you think of Julius' "Davie" act? He is learning fast. :) Anyway, let me know if you like it (if you are still reading it) and I will post the next one as soon as I can.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry about the delay in posting this, there was a mix up with my "editor". Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Dean watched Sam comfort Julius, so easily slipping into the role of loving father, and felt a twinge of fear for what the future held for his family. He pushed aside the rise in emotion and focused on the limp form at the door.

"She alive, Bobby?"

"Yeah, but she needs a doctor."

Dean saw Bobby wince when he tried to lift her before reaching down and picking her up himself.

"I'll take her to the hospital." Bobby offered, as they carefully made their way down the stairs.

"Be sure to get yourself checked out while your there."

"Ah, I've had a lot worst then this."

He flexed his arm, but couldn't completely hide the look of pain on his face.

"Yeah, but you were younger then."

"Boy," he glared, "the day I get sidelined from being tossed into a street by a demon is the day that h&^% freezes over."

Dean grinned and walked through where the front door used to be and towards Bobby's pick up. Bobby opened the door and he gently placed her on the seat.

"Now, I took care of all the symbols out back, but ..."

"The front needs a little work." Dean finished, shutting the door. "Don't worry about it. I'll have it done by the time you get back."

When he turned to go back to the house, Dean felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you gonna be okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I saw the looked you gave Sam and Julius."

Dean fixed his eyes on a tree down the street. He was SO not in the mood for this now.

"Let it go, Bobby."

"D*%# it, Dean, you have to deal with this." Bobby hissed. "You can't keep pretending nothing is gonna to change."

His glare darkened with his mood.

"What do you expect me to do? What happens to Julius is Sam's decision, not mine, but I would be lying to myself if I thought for one second that he would take that kid out hunting."

He stared down Bobby, but the older hunter just sighed.

"Sam first priority has always been family …" the old hunter spoke softly, "he won't abandon you … either of you."

Dean watched him leave before shrugging off the conversation and focusing on cleaning up the mess that had once been the door. But deep down, he hoped Bobby was right.

**~~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam sat on the couch, absentmindedly sharpening his silver knife. Julius had finally fallen asleep while Bobby was taking the girl to the hospital. Dean was in the kitchen getting a snack and Bobby had joined him after he got back. Sam knew he should be in there going over strategies with them, but he couldn't concentrate. All he could see was the look of terror in Julius' eyes, how much he needed him, but he had failed. Sam had never been there for his son ... not even now. He sighed and returned the knife to it's sheath. When he went to put it in his bag and noticed the cupboard had been knocked open, most likely by his foot when he had been tossed by the demon. He went to close it and saw a line of home movies. He picked up the one labeled "Julius' First Years" and popped it into the VCR. The image of Heather in a hospital room appeared on the screen. She was just like he remembered her. He honey colored hair stuck to her sweaty face, but her smile was bright, full of life.

"Hi, Sam."

He sucked in his breath, staring at the screen

"I'm so sorry I couldn't find you for you to be here today, but don't worry, I'll keep records of everything you've missed. Unfortunately my friend Jeff was late getting here ..."

"My bad. Sorry dude." Came a voice from behind the camera.

"... so you kinda missed the birth, but the nurse is due back ... oh, here she is."

The camera panned around to show a nurse pushing a bassinet into the room. He could still here Heather's voice off screen.

"Jeff get a close up for Sam."

The picture zoomed in on a tiny baby wrapped in a blue blanket.

"Sam, meet our son, Julius Samuel Manser, seven pounds two ounces, 21 inches long … Isn't he beautiful?"

Sam studied the infant, sleeping peacefully in his bed. He watch the nurse pick him up and place him gently in his mother's arms.

"Hello sweetheart." She whispered kissing his forehead.

He scrunched up his face and slowly opened his eyes.

"Say hi to your daddy."

She adjusted him so that he was facing the camera.

"Hey Heather, battery's almost dead."

"Okay. Well Sam that's all today. I love you and I can't wait until we can watch this together. Bye for now." She smiled at the camera, then looked down at Julius. "Say bye daddy."

Sam felt tears begin to form as he watched the woman he used to know disappear from the screen and be replaced by another picture of his baby from a few months later.

Hour after hour passed while Sam watched his boy growing before his eyes. When the last images of Julius' third birthday vanished Sam reached down and grabbed the tape marked "Julius Years 3-5". Soon he was sitting on the coffee table watching four year old Julius color. He smiled at the camera and held up his picture.

"This is for your, Daddy." He pointed to the colorful bird on the blue construction paper. "I'm gonna save it and give it to you when you can come home again. When you come back we can go to the park and I will show you where the birds are."

"That's great honey, I'm sure he'll love to do that with you," Heather's voice said sweetly, "But, it's time to turn off the camera now. Say bye to daddy."

"Bye, Daddy, I love you."

Sam's vision blurred slightly as his tears threatened to spill down his cheeks.

"Dude, are you crying?"

Sam quickly stopped the tape and wiped his face before turning to his brother in the doorway.

"No."

Dean hardly looked convinced.

"Uh-huh. What's going on?"

"Nothing." He mumbled. "I'm fine."

"That's a load of crap."

"I just … I wish I could have been there when Julius needed me."

"You're here now." Dean shrugged.

Sam looked at his hands.

"No, Dean, even now, I'm still not there for him."

"What are you talking about? You've been with him since we got here."

"Not when he needed me."

Dean pulled on his shoulder, turning him so they were face to face.

"What the h&^%, Sam? Where is this coming from?"

"Dean, every time Julius is in danger, I'm not there."

"Yes you are."

"Name one time."

Dean paused, visibly searching his memory.

"You see! When the shape-shifter was here, I wasn't. When the demon came, I couldn't help him. Face it Dean, you have been there for him a lot more then I have."

Before Dean could answer, a piercing scream rang through the house that made Sam's blood run cold. Julius! He rushed up the stairs, Dean and Bobby right behind him. He burst into Julius' room and the boy was curled up on the bed, hugging his pillow, tears streaming down his face. Sam dropped to his knees beside the bed while the other two did a security sweep.

"Julius, what's wrong?"

He looked awkwardly at the floor.

"I … I had … a nightmare." He whispered, clearly embarrassed.

Sam relaxed a little and sat on the edge of the race car bed.

"Julius, you don't have to be embarrassed about nightmares. Everyone gets them."

"But I'm a Winchester. Winchesters are suppose to be brave."

"We get nightmares to," Sam ran his finger through his son's messy brown curls, "all hunters do."

"Really?"

"Yep," Dean added, "one of the perks of the job."

Sam shot a glare at his brother and gave Julius a small smile.

"Are you going to be okay now?"

He nodded and Sam started to stand up, but a small hand clutching his T-shirt stopped him.

"Can … can you stay for a little bit?"

"Sure," he looked over at Dean and Bobby, "You'll let me know if anything happens?"

"Of course we will, ya dope." Bobby mumbled.

Dean grinned and the two of them left.

Julius scooted over, allowing Sam to climb into the toddler size bed next to him. It was cramped and he wondered if his weight would break it, but after watching the fear fade from Julius' eyes, he knew it was worth it.

"Julius?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I'm sorry I haven't been there for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well … I just wish I could have been there when you needed me, be able to help you when those monsters came … I'm suppose to be some kind of superhero, but-"

He was cut off when he felt Julius' arms wrap around his neck.

"Dad, you're better then a superhero. You have always been there when I need you and I wouldn't want anyone else. I love you so much … please don't be sad."

Sam hugged him back.

"I'm okay, Julius … I love you too."

**~~~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"Dean!"

Dean would have fallen off the couch, if the person shaking him awake hadn't had such a good grip.

"Bobby?"

Suddenly, the other hunter's tone registered and Dean was instantly awake.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to Sam or Julius?"

"They're fine. I think they are still asleep."

"Asleep?" Dean checked his watch. "Bobby, it's 5:00am. I fell asleep three hours ago, why the h&^% are you waking me up if everything is fine?"

"Trust me, not everything is fine."

He flipped on the tv and turned it to the news while Dean sat up and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Focusing on the screen, an Asian reporter stood in the middle of a cemetery in front of a mausoleum, yellow crime scene tape stretched across the entrance.

"... police are asking anyone who might have seen something to step forward," he stated, "so that these body snatchers can be apprehended and the dead laid to rest were they belong. This is Mark Akito, reporting live ..."

Dean switched off the tv, swearing under his breath.

"Are you telling me that NOW we have a freaking ghoul to deal with?"

"Unless you know of something else that with break into a crypt to steal a dead body."

Dean ran his hands through his short hair. He was REALLY starting to dislike this town.

"But, what the crap is it doing here?"

"I don't know, Dean. Could be just a coincidence."

Dean snorted at the thought, nothing about this trip was a coincidence.

"Has Sam ever killed a ghoul?"

"I don't think so, but both Dad and I have. You think it wants revenge?"

"Well, that's why the shape-shifter showed up."

"I know, and that b&s%a$d is still out their somewhere."

Dean got to his feet, tucking his gun into his waistband.

"I better let Sam know what's going on."

When he reached the top of the stairs, he ran into his sleepy nephew.

"Hey squirt, what are you doing up so early?"

"Bathroom." he yawned. "And stay quiet. Dad's still sleeping."

As the boy wondered down the hall, Dean pushed open the door to his room and immediately flipped out his camera phone. Curled up on a race car bed, covered with a Spiderman sheet, was his six foot four inch, monster killing, little brother. After he had taken the necessary blackmail photos the situation called for and emailed them to himself, Julius came back in.

"I don't think Dad would like you taking pictures of him while he is sleeping."

"It's fine. I collect pictures like this, see ..." He scrolled through his album, "here is Sam sleeping in the car."

"Why is there a spoon in his mouth?"

Before he could answer, they heard a soft groan from the bed.

"Hey, what are you two doing?"

"Uncle Dean is showing me his picture collection."

Sam's eyes narrowed.

"What picture collection?"

Dean covered Julius' mouth, letting Sam speculate.

"Hey, Bobby and I need to talk to you."

His brother's glare intensified.

"Dean ..."

Ignoring him, he looked down at his nephew.

"You should go back to sleep now."

Julius nodded and climbed back into the bed Sam had vacated. Sam covered him with his quilt and followed Dean out of the room.

"They better not have been pictures of girls." He hissed when they reached the stairs.

Dean stifled a laugh. Sammy, Sammy, Sammy, he thought, you make this WAY too easy.

Bobby was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"What took you so long?"

"Nothing, Bobby." Dean grinned.

The older hunter looked back and forth between the boys and shrugged.

"Did you tell him what we found out?"

Sam's glare dissolved into a look of concern.

"What?"

"We think there is a ghoul in town." Bobby answered.

"A ghoul?"

"Yeah, you know, corps eating monster."

Sam shot him an annoyed look.

"I know what a ghoul is Dean, but what are they doing here?"

"Probably snacking on the stiff they picked up last night."

"Sam," Bobby asked, "have you ever killed a ghoul before?"

"No. Dad and Dean have."

"That's what I said."

Bobby pulled off his cap and scratched his head.

"Well, whether it was brought here by the name Winchester or not, the outcome is the same."

Dean put his hands behind his back, feeling the 9mm through his shirt. He didn't know for sure if this thing was out for revenge or just happened to stumble into town, but he wasn't taking any chances. That d$#^ website was causing his family so much pain, and if anything happened to Sam or Julius … Dean pushed the thoughts from his mind. Kate started this by killing Heather and it wouldn't be over until her and all the creatures that followed were dead.

* * *

So, I have the next chapter finished and, as soon as I get it back from my "editor", I'll post it ... but she DOES have a chapter from each of my four stories right now ... so it might take a day or two.


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, because it had seemed to confuse a few people. this chapter includes the reason the hunters are still at Emily's house.

BTW, if any of you want a better picture of what Julius looks like, check out Alex Ferris from the movie RV. (He also played young Sam in, season 1 episode 18, "Something Wicked".)

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Sam stared at his coffee, thinking about how much his world had turned upside down in the last few days. He couldn't believe it had been less then a week since Julius entered his life and he had no idea what would become of him after Kate was dead. He looked across the table at Dean, knowing his brother didn't want him to bring it up. Did Dean really think that after all their time together that he would drop him just because he had a son? Then again, he didn't want Julius to live on the road. How could he keep the two most important people in his life safe and happy?

He took a page from Dean's book and pushed those thoughts aside. Right now, the most important thing was to find and kill the threats against them.

"Any idea where Kate might be hiding?"

The other two glanced up from their own thoughts.

"No," Bobby answered after a bit, "it's hard to track a nest of two."

"And the shape-shifter?"

Dean shook his head.

"But, after he torched his old place, we only have the rest of the swear system to check."

"Well, it's a good thing Burlington is so small," Sam commented, "only have about 30 square miles."

"Dude, how do you even know that?"

"I haven't just been making cookies here, Dean."

Bobby rolled his eyes at their banter and returned to the topic of discussion.

"We also have to find and kill the ghoul, whether it's after you boys or not."

Sam nodded in a agreement and noticed movement in the corner of his eye.

"Morning, Julius."

"Good morning, Dad."

"Hey, how come I never get a friendly greeting in the morning?"

"Good morning, Uncle Dean."

He yawned and climbed in a chair next to his dad.

"So? Am I going to school today or having more Dean time?"

Just as Dean opened his mouth, Sam spoke up.

"Actually, your going to spend time with Uncle Bobby today."

"What?" Bobby asked, clearly surprised.

He gave him an apologetic look.

"As long as it's okay."

Bobby snorted and returned to his coffee.

"It's fine."

"What about you, Dad?"

He gave his son a smile.

"Dean and I are going out for a while."

"Where are you going."

"Hunting." Dean answered.

Sam watched Julius' eyes fill with fear and glared at Dean.

"It's okay, we are just asking people questions to try and find where the monsters are hiding."

Julius' gaze fell on the marks where the shape-shifter had cut him and it look like he might cry again. Sam looked over at Dean who was calmly drinking his coffee. He elbowed his older brother, causing a little of the hot liquid to splash on his hand. He grunted and glared.

"Dude …"

Sam gave him a hard look and gestured to his son, silently telling Dean to say something … anything that will help calm the boy down. Dean looked uncomfortable under Julius' pleading eyes.

"I'll … uh … bring your dad back in one piece."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

He relaxed, but only a little. Sam looked back at his own coffee, wishing for the hundredth time Julius could have been spared this nightmare.

A few hours later, Sam and Dean pulled up to the cemetery. As they made there way to the mausoleum, Sam's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dad."

"Hey Julius, is something wrong?"

"No. Can I learn Latin?"

Sam stopped walking, taken aback by his son's request.

"You wanna learn Latin?"

"You all know it."

"I know, but … you're not a hunter."

Dean gave him an annoyed look.

"Let the kid learn Latin." He mumbled.

Sam scowled, turning away from Dean.

"But Dad, a lot of people that aren't hunters know Latin."

Sam still wasn't sure, but learning Latin would help keep him distracted while they were hunting.

"Uh … sure, go ahead."

"Thanks, Dad. Uncle Bobby said he would teach me, but only if you said yes."

"Well, remember to thank him. I'll see you around lunchtime."

"Okay, bye Dad."

"Bye Julius."

He hung up and continued to glare at the look on his brother's face.

"So, Julius wants to be the next exorcist?"

"No, he just wants to learn Latin."

"Riiiiiight … and the exorcism he saw last night has absolutely nothing to do with it."

"I don't want Julius to be a hunter."

"No offense Sam, but is that really your choice?"

He looked over at Dean, a little startled by his question.

"What?"

"Well, your kinda acting like Dad in reverse."

"He's only six, he can choose what he wants to do when he is older. Until then I'm going to keep him safe in anyway I can."

"Whatever, dude. I'm just saying there are a few things he should know, like the devil's trap."

"Dean, he calls it a monster net."

He shrugged as they approached the mausoleum.

"Doesn't change the fact he can use it."

"I guess," Sam admitted, "a trap by any other name will still send the b#s%a^ds to h&*%."

"That was beautiful, Sammy."

**~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~~**

After taking note of the broken door, they were stopped by young officer.

"Excuse me, this area is restricted."

While Sam convinced the cop that they were reporters, Dean casually stepped to the side where he could get a better look. He saw the side of the crypt had been smashed revealing the empty chamber were the body once lay. They spent about an hour poking around, asking questions, but in the end all they were sure of was that it was a ghoul.

"Well ..." Dean commented on the way back to the Impala, "that was a complete waste of time."

He glanced over when Sam's phone went off.

"Hello?"

Immediately going on edge when he noticed Sam tense up, they both froze.

"Julius? What's wrong?"

Sam cursed under his breath. Dean finally caught his attention and got the whole story in one word.

"Hendrickson."

"D#*% it." Dean muttered.

Of course, the obsessive FBI agent would have to show up NOW.

"Yeah, sorry … okay, stay in your room and have Bobby call us when they leave … it will be all right … we will … bye."

He hung up the phone and looked at Dean expectantly, but he didn't know what to do either.

"You want to get something to eat?"

Two hours later Dean had finished his cheeseburger and had started on his third beer, while Sam poked at his half eaten meal.

"Dude, is that still your first beer?" He asked.

Sam mumbled what sounded like a yes.

"What's wrong?"

Sam's head snapped up.

"What's wrong? Dean, Heather died less then two weeks ago, there are at lest four monsters and two FBI agents after us, the demons know about Julius, and and who knows what else is coming. What's NOT wrong?"

Dean tried clearing the expression from his face.

"Sam, you need to calm down …"

"How would you feel if you suddenly found out you were a dad?"

Thankfully, before he could even think of an answer, Sam continued.

"How are we going to deal with this? We can't keep Julius here now that anything and everything is showing up. But, even if we do move him he's still not safe."

"I know Sam, that why we agreed now to take off immediately. As long as the vampires have his sent he's not safe anywhere."

Sam let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. This whole situation was tearing him apart and there was nothing Dean could do about it … well almost nothing.

"Sammy, there are four monsters in town, right?"

Sam nodded, but his expression was one of frustration.

"Well, we can gank a ghoul with a head shot, the shape shifter just needs a silver bullet to the heart, and, as long as we can score some dead man's blood, the fangs won't know what hit them. We could do that in a few days, tops. And Hendrickson … well, you let me worry about him."

"What are you going to do?"

Honestly, he had no idea. But, it was better to bluff then to add to Sam's stress. Luckily, he was saved from an explanation when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dean," Bobby's voice said, "They're gone now. You boys can come home."

**~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam draped his coat over the back of one of the living room chairs and looked around for any sign of his son. Bobby came in to greet them.

"Hey Bobby, where's Julius?"

"Taking his bath."

"This early?" Sam asked, checking his watch.

"Yeah … uh … arts and crafts got a little out of hand."

He jerked his thumb towards the dinning room. Newspaper coated the table and was decorated with paint splotches, colorful feathers, and puddles of glue.

"Not that bad …" Dean started.

Bobby pointed up and Sam groaned at the paint splatter on the ceiling, before glaring at his brother's laughter.

"Listen," Bobby said, seriously, "we need to talk."

"What did Hendrickson say?" Dean questioned, after he calmed down.

"Well, he was looking for Emily and information about Sam."

Sam silently cursed that stupid website.

"I told him I was an old friend that was house sitting with my nephew while Emily was out of town."

"And Julius? Does Hendrickson know he's-"

"I'm not senile, ya idjit. Of COURSE I didn't tell him Julius was yours."

Sam heard Dean stifle a laugh beside him, but choose to ignore it.

"Did he talk to him?"

"He tried."

Sam would have been more nervous … had Bobby not had a smirk on his face.

"What did he say?" Dean asked, clearly seeing the same thing.

"Well, he told Hendrickson that he wasn't allowed to talk to strangers, so Hendrickson and his partner pulled out their badges."

Despite Bobby's mood, Sam couldn't help but feel worried. Julius was such a good boy, his mom had to have taught him to trust cops.

"Did Julius say anything then?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Bobby chuckled, "he quoted the statistic of corrupt law enforcement officers and ran upstairs."

"Awwww, Little Davie is growing fangs."

Sam turned, trying to glare at Dean for his comment, but it was hard to do while fighting back a grin.

"Who has fangs?"

Now he could glare at him after seeing the frightened look in Julius' eyes. He went over to the doorway and hunched down so he was eye to eye with his son.

"No one has fangs. Dean's just being a jerk."

"Was not b^&%*."

"Uncle Dean …"

Sam watched as he searched his pocket and flipped the kid a quarter.

"That's not enough." He said simply.

Sam laughed at the exasperated look on his brother's face.

"What do you mean, not enough? It's a dime per word."

"Yes, but you still hadn't paid the 45 cents from before. Then you said two more swear words when the monster lady came. That, with this time is 75 cents, so you still owe 50 cents."

Sam smiled as he watched Dean pull a dollar out of his wallet.

"That should cover me for a while." He mumbled, heading to the couch.

"Or at least until tomorrow." Sam added, barely ducking the pillow that flew at his head.

Suddenly, Julius got very exited.

"Dad, guess what I can do?"

"What?"

"I can say three things in Latin."

"Lets hear them."

Julius took a deep breath before carefully pronouncing each word.

"Absit omen ..."

Let the omen be absent, Sam thought to himself, fitting.

"... de omnibus debitandum ..."

Be suspicious of everything, every hunter should know that one.

"... pax tecum."

"Very good, Julius."

The boy beamed under Sam's praise.

"Not bad, squirt." Dean called from the couch, while he watched the news.

"You know, it's interesting the Bobby taught you pax tecum."

"Why's that, Dad?"

Sam caught a gimps of his brother's raise eyebrow, but turned back to his son.

"Because, pax tecum is the singular way to say 'peace be with you'. The more common way is pax vobiscum. It means the same thing, but to a group of people. It's sometimes used instead of goodbye."

He saw Dean roll his eyes, but was more focused on the look of wonder on Julius' face.

"Your amazing Dad! Do you know how to say everything in Latin?"

"Pretty much. I became fluent in college."

Julius turned to his uncle.

"Are you fluent in Latin too?"

"I can get by."

Sam stifled a laugh, earning a glare from his brother.

"Anulos qui animum ostendunt omnes gestemus." Dean quoted smugly.

Julius looked impressed, but Sam just shook his head grinning.

"Dean ... only you would know how to say 'let's all wear mood rings' in Latin."

**~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Later that night, Dean took the trash out and got the eerie feeling he was being watched. With his back to the house he scanned the shadows, instinctively going for his gun. With his colt 1911 firmly in his hand, Dean's eye sweep back and forth. To much had happened to ignore even the smallest sense of danger. Movement to his right brought his gun up to firing position as he locked his eyes on the small form near the side door.

"Julius!"

He lowered his gun as tears began to form in his nephew's eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Uncle Dean …" he stammered, "I didn't mean to scare you. Please don't be mad at me …"

Dean cursed under his breath. He still had a bad feeling and Julius crying on the steps wasn't helping anything.

"What the h$^* are you doing out here? Get back inside."

"I'm sorry …" he sniffed, "Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad." Dean growled.

Okay, so it didn't sound like it, but if something was out there he had to find it and kill it, but he couldn't do that with a sobbing six year old.

"But …"

Dean heard a rustling sound from the next yard.

"Julius, get inside, now!"

Julius turned and fled back into the house just as the sound moved closer. With his gun trained on the spot where the noise came from, Dean slowly crept forward. Suddenly, a large man did a full on football tackle from the opposite direction, getting him from the side and taking him to the ground. The attacker stared pounded his fist repeatedly into the side of Dean's head. Temporarily stunned, and trying to fill his now empty lungs, it took Dean precious seconds before he realized the gun was no longer in his hand.

"This will teach you to hunt down MY nephew!" He growled between blows.

The man grasped his large hands around Dean's neck and smiled wickedly while the hunter gasped for air.

"After I devour you, I'll come back for your family."

He licked his lips in pleasure while his blue eyes followed the trickle of blood from a cut above Dean's eye to his jaw line. Dark spots began to fill his vision as he tried to pry the iron grip off of his throat, but all he could think was that he found the ghoul … yay!

* * *

I'll get the next chapter up just as soon as I can.

In the meantime, please let me know how I'm doing. :)


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for all the great reviews. :)

Here is the next part ...

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Sam looked up when Julius came back in and immediately went on edge when he saw the tears streaming down the boys face.

"Julius?"

A second later he was hunched down at his side.

"What's wrong?"

Julius threw his arms around his neck.

"Dad … I … I scared uncle D-Dean … he … he pointed his … his gun … at me!"

Sam tried to control the waves of anger and fear that flowed through him. There had to be something evil outside … if not, he was going to kick his big brother's a#$. Instructing his son to go find Bobby, Sam double checked his gun and hurried out the door. What he saw made his blood run cold.

Dean was laying motionless on the ground and a large man was leaning over him, licking the blood that ran down the side of his pale face. Rage returning in full force as he raised his gun.

"Get the h#$% away from my brother you son of a b&*$#!"

Hearing the yell the ghoul sat up and Sam, literally, took his head off in one shot. Before the corps hit the ground, he was leaning over Dean's lifeless form.

"Oh, God, no" He whispered, taking in the bruising around his brother's neck.

He quickly checked his vitals, breathing a sigh of relived when he discovered that Dean had just passed out. He shook him gently, unsure of the extent of what that thing had done to him.

"Dean? Dean, come on man, you gotta wake up."

Dean moaned and rolled his head to the side, but that was it.

"Sam?" bobby called from the door.

Sam didn't take his eyes off his unconscious brother.

"He's alive, Bobby. Help me get him in the house."

Between the two of them, they managed to get Dean to the living room. Julius stood in the corner, watching as they placed his limp uncle on the couch. Sam saw the fear in his eyes when he looked up at him, his lower lip trebling as he spoke.

"Is he … did a monster …"

Sam gave the boy a half smile.

"He's fine, Julius. Dean is just … sleeping."

Julius seemed to calm down and slowly approached the couch.

"I … I heard a gun."

"That was me," Sam admitted, unsure how Julius would react, "I killed a monster."

"Did it … did it attack Uncle Dean?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think it scared him?"

Sam didn't know how to answer that. Truthfully, it most likely did, I mean the ghoul almost choked the life out of him … but would Dean want Julius to know that? Most likely … no. In the end, Sam decided to be honest.

"I'm sure he got scared, at least a little."

"Do you think he fainted?"

Sam held back a laugh and heard Bobby chuckle softly from somewhere behind him. Julius looked dead serious, but the thought of Dean, his shoot-first-ask-what-fugly-he-killed-later brother, fainting from fright …

"I didn't f&^%ing faint." Dean growled, pulling up his arm to cover his eyes.

Sam put a hand on his shoulder, partially for comfort … but mostly to remind him a six year old was in the room.

"Hey, how ya feeling?"

Dean moved his arm to his forehead, glaring darkly.

"Fabulous, hot oil massages and mud baths couldn't make me feel better."

Sam rolled his eyes and got the first aide kit from the car. When he returned he checked his brother over, relived that none of his injuries were serious.

"Do you need anything for the pain?"

"Yes … blackberry pie."

Sam stared at him.

"You just got pounded by a ghoul and now you want pie?"

He shrugged and nodded, while Sam slowly shook his head. Only Dean …

**~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Dean shifted on the couch and winced. D*^# ghoul. He set down his beer when Sam walked in.

"What took you so long? Did you have to pick the berries yourself."

"Bite me."

"I'd rather have pie."

He set a slice of pie on the coffee table with a fork.

"How was Julius while I was gone?"

"Great. I taught him how to field dress a shotgun and we looked through a couple of skin mags."

He glanced from his pie to the glare on Sam's face. If looks could kill …

"Chill out, I put him to bed and read some book about a train trying to get over a stupid hill."

"YOU read him 'The Little Engine That Could'?"

"Laugh it up, dude," Dean smirked, "I'm not the one that knows it by name."

The glare came back, but not quiet as deadly as before.

"So, he's asleep?"

"Well, if he is anything like you, he is laying awake wondering if his dad is still alive."

Sam nodded and headed up the stairs while Dean went back to eating his pie. Now, if only they could get morphine to taste this good.

After a few hours of getting board with the news, Dean pushed himself, painfully, off the couch and double checked the salt lines on the main floor before pulling himself upstairs, avoiding the kitchen since Bobby had ordered him to get some sleep over an hour before. He pushed the door open to Julius' room, just to reassure himself they were alright. Julius lay right against the safety rails with his arm hanging over the side of the bed. He would talk to Sam about removing those in the morning. A six year old didn't need plastic walls to keep him safe from the two foot drop to the floor. Sam was asleep on the carpeted floor, his head resting on a throw pillow. He was laying close enough to the bed that Julius' fingertips were brushing against his arm. He snapped a picture with his phone before heading into the other bedroom and grabbing a blanket from the closet. After he covered Sam up, he went back to Emily's room and checked on th symbols and salt lines. Feeling tired, Dean stretched out on her bed to rest …

It felt like a minute had passed before he heard someone yelling his name. He grumbled and tried to roll over, hissing at the pain in his side. D#*& ghoul.

"Dean!"

He frowned. Sam sounded upset, almost panicked. Ignoring the pain he pushed himself upright and swung his feet over the side of the bed. He reached the door in two strides and swung it open.

"Sam!" He called out into the empty hallway.

His brother bounded up the stairs and looked relieved.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked, shutting Emily's door behind him.

"I didn't know where you went."

Dean shot him a confused look and checked his watch.

"Holy crap!"

It was almost ten. He must have really been out of it.

"How long have you been looking for me?"

"Not long."

Just long enough to freak out, Dean thought bitterly.

"Yeah … next time, check the bedrooms."

"I'll do that. Ready for breakfast? Julius cooked."

Dean followed Sam downstairs towards the kitchen. Halfway there, Julius run into him, wrapping his small arms around Dean's waist.

"Where were you? We thought a monster got you again."

"No," Sam sighed, "just the sandman."

Julius looked up at him, his eyes shining with fear.

"Did you fight him?"

Dean stifled a laugh.

"Didn't have to. Your dad scared him away."

"Really?"

"Yup. It's a gift of his." Dean grinned, "Sammy is always scary in the morning … especially before he brushed his teeth."

Easily deflecting a punch in the arm, Dean mussed up Julius' hair.

"So, squirt, I heard you made breakfast. Let's hope your a better cook then your dad."

"Shut up, jerk."

"Bi-"

Dean caught himself when he saw the disapproving look in his nephews eyes. He didn't remember how much money he had put towards the swear jar, but he figured he would save the words he had already bought for a fugly, rather then waste them on his geek boy brother.

When he reached the kitchen he was pleased to find the kid could cook. He served a breakfast of buttered toast and scrabbled eggs mixed with cheese, diced ham, and pieces of tortilla.

"Sammy," He said with a mouthful of food, "that is one great kid you got there."

Sam smiled at his son, but Julius was too busy scowling at Dean to notice.

"It's not polite to talk with your mouth full."

Sam chuckled and ran a hand through the boy's hair.

"You tell 'im, Julius."

Bobby came in and shot Dean a knowing glance. Sensing trouble, Dean swallowed and looked down at his nephew.

"Hey Julius, do you think you can draw a picture for me?"

He nodded while he finished off his orange juice.

"Sure, Uncle Dean, I'll do it right now."

He put his dishes in the sink and raced off to his room.

"What's wrong, Bobby?" Sam asked.

**~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam paced the living room, wondering if this town could possibly get any worst.

"Sam …" Bobby stopped when Sam held up his hand.

"Do NOT tell me to calm down."

He glanced toward the stairs, weighing the dangers of getting caught in the open to staying in the same place. It was fortified against the supernatural, but this was too much.

"Bobby, are you sure about this?"

"Sure as I can be."

"Any idea who it is?" Dean asked.

"No, just that they are coming."

Sam could see Dean watching him closely, as if he was going to snap at any moment … and he didn't blame him. Demons, vampires, ghouls, shape-shifters … they were bad enough. But now he had to worry about humans? And not just any humans …

"How many hunters has Gordan sent?" Sam asked, scanning the street from the window.

"At least two."

Sam braced his hands on the windowsill.

"Sam, maybe you should get away from the window."

Angry as he was, he listen to his brother and leaned back against the wall. Gordon already believed him to be a monster, what was he going to think when he found out about Julius? If Gordon's friends came anywhere near his son …

"Dad?"

Sam looked over and tried to smile at the boy in the doorway.

"You done with your picture."

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

He turned his fearful eyes to the other two hunters, but no one answered. Looking back at Sam, his eyes filled with tears.

"Is it … is the thing that killed mom gonna …"

Sam crossed the living room and wrapped his arms around his son.

"No Julius. We won't let them hurt you, or anyone else, again."

"Then what's wrong?"

Sam locked his jaw. He couldn't tell Julius about the hunters without freaking him out every time he left the house, but if he didn't, Julius wouldn't know what to do if he ran into them. So he had to choose, have his son live in fear or be unprepared for what was coming.

"Are they monsters?"

"No … they're human … hunters."

"Like you?"

"No." The hunters said in unison.

"But you said they were hunters."

Sam put his hands on Julius' shoulders and look him in the eye.

"We hunt things that hurt people."

"Like the things that killed mom?"

"Yes. But they … they hunt down anyone who is different."

"Like Nazis?"

Sam stared at him, ignoring Dean's snicker from the couch, and wondering where a six year old would learn THAT word.

"Peter said that his big brother told him the Nazis killed everyone in Europe that was different. Are bad hunters like Nazis?"

Sam looked at Dean, but the smirk on his brother's face told him that he was on his own.

"W-well … uh …"

**~~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

"This is a REALLY bad idea."

"I know," Sam grumbled, "I heard you the first fifteen times."

Dean scanned the park again, before taking note of where Julius' blue camouflage shirt in the pack of little boys. Why couldn't Peter have a birthday party at his house like a normal person? He locked eyes with Bobby who had posted himself on the far side of the group. The older hunter motioned the sign for all clear and Dean went back to checking out the area.

"Remind me why you agreed to this?"

"Because Julius was already planning on coming." Sam sighed. "And, with everything going on … he deserves a break."

Dean eyed his brother. Julius might be getting a break, but Sam looked like he was about to snap. He saw him relax and force a smile when Julius came running.

"Dad, Uncle Dean, can I play on the playground with the other kids?"

The hunters exchanged glances. It would be harder to keep an eye on him on the multilevel play-structure, but it might raise questions with the other parents if they said no.

"Please?"

Holy crap! He inherited the melt-your-heart-puppy-dog eyes! Dean looked at Sam, who had never been on the receiving end of that look before. He looked just like every victim of the puppy-dog eyes did right before ...

"Um … sure … just stay where you can see me or one of your uncles."

Julius gave him a huge smile.

"Thanks Dad."

He raced off and started to climb toward the biggest slide in sight. Dean just kept staring at Sam until he looked his way.

"What?"

"I suppose your gonna buy him a pony when he asks for that too?"

Sam glared and turned back toward the playground, his eyes seeking out his son. Soon the searching look turned to panic.

"Where's Julius!?"

Dean turned and scanned the playground, not seeing the curly haired kid anywhere.

"Where the h$*# could he have gotten to in ten seconds!?"

* * *

I'll get the next one finished as soon as I can. :)

Until then, please let me know what you think.


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for the wait. I've had a tough couple of weeks. Anyway, here ya go.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Sam raced toward the slide, the last place he had seen Julius, not having to look to know Dean was right behind him. He found one of Julius' friends near there.

"Where's Julius?"

"Hey, your his dad aren't you? He always said you would come back-"

"Yeah, I'm back," he said quickly, "now were is he?"

The kids looked startled and pointed towards a large swing set.

"He's playing tag with Ryan and Peter over there."

Sam took off in that direction, scanning the area, but still didn't see any sign of blue camouflage. He did, however, find Peter.

"Where is Julius?"

"I don't know, I think he ran that way. Why?"

Sam didn't stop to answer, all he could think about was finding his son.

"HEY!" someone called from behind the swings.

A second later another one of Julius' friends ran up to him.

"What's wrong?"

"Come quick! I think it's possessed!"

Sam tensed up and looked at Dean, who already had his colt in his hand.

"What's possessed?"

"It was a … it was a statue!" He panicked.

Sam and Dean exchanged puzzled looks.

"A what?"

"A possessed statue! It moved and looked at Julius and me!"

Sam gripped the boy by the shoulders.

"What happened? Where is Julius?"

"I-I don't know we saw the statue and he said he had to find you, that you would know what to do. We … we split up."

"Which way did he go?"

"That way," he pointed.

Sam turned to leave and the kid grabbed his arm.

"What about the statue? Aren't you gonna to shoot it or something?"

Sam looked at Dean for help. He HAD to find his son, but if there was something out there …

"Where is it?"

He grabbed Sam's hand and dragged him to the other side of a group of trees.

"There it is! Kill it!"

Sam looked over and saw a sliver figure turn there way and instinctively raised his gun.

"Whoa!" The man yelled, backing away with his hand's raised defensibly, "look, I'm sorry I scared the kids! Okay? Don't kill me!"

Sam cursed under his breath and lowered his gun, glaring at the street performer. He cast a sideways glance at Dean, who looked like he would shoot the guy just for wasting their time.

"Is it possessed?" The kid asked.

"He's not possessed," Dean growled, "he's covered in paint."

Sam grabbed his arm, silently conveying his feelings. Leaving the kids with the human statue, the raced in the direction Julius had gone. While they ran every possible scenario went through Sam's mind. He knew it only took seconds for a demon to make someone disappear … minuets to bleed out from a vampire or werewolf bite … not to mention the humans who might want to snatch a little boy. He had to find him.

Sam continually scanned the area, straining to pick up on his voice, hoping he wasn't too late.

"No! Stop it!"

A surge of adrenaline brought him into a group of trees in a deserted corner of the park. Just across from him, a large man was dragging Julius off his feet toward a waiting car.

"Shut up, you little brat." He mumbled, attempting to cover Julius' mouth.

"My dad's gonna kill you!"

"He can try." The guy smirked.

Sam clenched his jaw, gripping his gun tightly. He could easily take the shot, the man was King Kong compared to the struggling child, but they had to know who this was and why he was trying to kidnap Julius. He and Dean exchanged glances and motioned to each other what to do, before Sam stepped into the man's line of sight and raised his gun.

"Let him go!"

"Dad!"

The man pulled Julius higher with one hand, using him as a shield, and pulling a knife from his belt with the other.

"Drop your gun!"

Sam paused, watching the tears form in his son's eyes. Suddenly he knew how Dean felt when Kate's mate had him in a choke hold, threatening to break his neck if Dean didn't put down his machete.

"Now!"

The man pressed the blade against Julius' cheek, causing him to start crying.

"Dad … help me … please." He begged.

His eyes darted quickly to Dean. He had to keep him busy long enough for his brother to get in position.

"Alright," he relented, "just don't hurt him … please."

Sam slowly placed the gun on the grass, keeping his hands where the kidnapper could see them.

"Good," the man sneered, but keeping the knife on the edge of Julius' jaw, "they said you would do anything for the other two."

Sam forced his expression to stay calm, but him mind was racing through the hundreds of people who could be after him for any number of reasons.

"Who said?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you?"

"Please … Dad …" Julius wailed.

"It will be alright, Julius."

"Right," the man laughed, "you keep believing that."

Sam's eyes narrowed when the man began backing toward his car and Julius started to cry harder.

"Say goodbye to your little boy, Winchester," he taunted, "it will be the last time you ever see him."

"Daaaad! Don't let him take me!"

Sam clenched his jaw at the sound of Julius' cries.

"He won't."

"How are you going to stop me?"

"He doesn't have to."

The would-be kidnapper, turned towards Dean's voice, and took a fist to the face. Stunned from the blow, he dropped the boy. Julius tumbled to the ground and scrambled over to Sam's waiting arms, sobbing into his shoulder. Sam wrapped his arms around Julius, not wanting to let go, but then he saw Goliath turning on his brother, knife still in his hand. Sam could tell by the "oh s&^%" look on his face that he needed help.

"Julius stay back."

He set him down and moved to help Dean.

**~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Dean finished tying the last knot, securing the would-be kidnapper to a tree, while Sam turned Julius over to Bobby.

"Thanks." Sam mumbled.

"No problem."

Bobby smiled down at Julius and took him by the hand. The kids hadn't said a word since the man dropped him, but at least he had stopped crying. He gave Sam a sad look and followed Bobby to where they had parked. Good thing Bobby had come from the library so he had his truck.

Now that his nephew was okay, Dean turn his attention to his brother. Sam had a split lip, a few cuts and bruises, and more then likely a cracked rip or two. Of course, Dean didn't fair much better. Taking down this guy was almost as bad as wrestling with a werewolf. Fortunately for them, their over-sized opponent relied too much on his strength and never thought to get properly trained. If he had actually bothered to learn how to fight … this day would have ended VERY differently. Shaking off the thought, Dean join Sam in front of their captive.

"I could've taken him."

Sam shot him an annoyed glare.

"Sure you could've."

"Come on Sammy, lighten up."

"Lighten up? My son was almost kidnapped."

"But he wasn't. So why don't we wake up sleeping beauty and get some answers?"

Sam nodded and opened up a water bottle, dousing the guy's head. He sputtered and pulled against the ropes, but the knots held.

"I'm gonna kill you." He growled.

"Yeah sure you are, who sent you to grab the kid?"

A nasty smirk crossed his face.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Exchanging a glance with Sam, Dean could see they were going to have to do this the hard way. Glancing around to verify there were no witnesses to worry about, Dean pulled his gun.

"You kill me, and you'll never know."

Dean matched his glare.

"Oh, we'll find out one way or another … this is just to give you a sporting chance."

He raised the gun, aiming the barrel at the man's chest.

"Give me a name."

The man looked nervously between the brothers, pulling again at the unrelenting ropes.

"You wouldn't shoot me … you're hunters … hunters don't hurt humans."

"You attacked an innocent boy," Sam spat, "who says we consider you human?"

He looked back and forth, sweat forming on his head.

"Who told you to take my son?"

Dean waited a few seconds and cocked the gun.

"Lansing!" The man blurted out, "his name was Lansing."

Dean smiled at Sam. It was amazing how cooperative a Colt 1911 pistol made people.

"What does he want with Julius?" Sam demanded.

"He doesn't want the kid, he wants you."

"What does he want with us?" Dean asked, keeping the gun level.

"He doesn't want you … just your brother."

Dean forced down the wave of fear and anger that built up at the man's words.

"Why me?"

"I don't know, he just paid me to get the kid. He was gonna use him as bait. That's all I know, I swear."

Dean lowered his gun, but Sam pulled out his own, aiming it between the man's eyes.

"Hey, I told you everything I know!"

Sam just glared and cocked his gun.

"Sam …"

His cold eyes were locked on the would-be kidnapper and Dean prepared to take his brother down if he had too.

"If you ever come near my son again," Sam said in a harsh whisper, "I'll kill you."

He swiftly brought the gun down on the side of his head, and the man slumped against the ropes.

"I'll … uh … go let the police know where to find him."

"Sam-"

"I'll be fine Dean. Let's just go."

Dean watched him head off toward the pay phones and he could tell Sam felt guilty as h&%$. Julius had been attack by someone going after him … twice. He didn't remember crossing anyone named Lansing, but since the website went up, that didn't mean much. The name of Winchester was what was bringing these crazies to town. His desire to find and kill Kate grew. As long as she was out there, Julius wasn't safe anywhere, but here wasn't looking too hot right now either … for any of them.

**~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~**

Sam hunched his shoulders on his way to the phone. He was wracking his brain to remember anyone named Lansing, but came up empty. And how did he even know that Julius was his son? After he made the call he joined Dean and the two of them made their way back to the Impala.

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

"That's crap."

"Dean."

He didn't care if he was whining, but he didn't want to have this talk. And since when was Dean so willing to have a hear to heart?

"You know who Lansing is?" Dean asked.

"Don't you think I would have mentioned it if I had?"

"I'm just asking, dude."

"I'm sorry," Sam sighed, "I just … I just hate that I keep putting Julius in danger."

"It's not exactly your fault."

"Yeah I know, but still. Everything that has come after him has been because of me."

Dean stepped in front of him, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Don't do this, Sam. You have to stop blaming yourself. You are not responsible for every bad thing that ever happens."

"But-"

"Sam," Dean warned, "you blame yourself for one more thing and I'll seriously kick your a%$."

Sam smiled a little, but kept his mouth shut. He didn't feel like fighting with his brother … at least not physically.

They were almost back to the car when Sam got the bad feeling they were being watched. Dean stiffened next to him, letting him know he felt it too. He scanned the area, but didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary … not that THAT meant much. A shape-shifter could look like anyone, and neither he or Dean had any idea who the hunters were that Gordan sent. He reached into his coat, gripping his gun tightly, just in case. Sam heard someone come up behind him and exchanged signals to Dean. In a matter of seconds they turned and drew their weapons. Sam caught his breath when he found himself staring down a 9mm. But it wasn't the gun that made him nervous, it was the man holding it. The sun glinted off the trio of yellow letters on his black windbreaker when he shifted slightly, so that the barrel of his gun was level with Sam's heart.

"You know," a cocky grin spread across his brown face, "I thought this tip was too good to be true … glad I was wrong."

Sam allowed himself a brief glance at Dean, who looked like he was ready to pull the trigger.

"You might want to lower that gun Dean. You're fast," he cocked his gun, "but I might just be faster, and you wouldn't want to gamble with your brother's life."

Sam saw him hesitate. He knew Dean wouldn't risk him getting shot, but if they lowered their guns they were screwed.

* * *

I'll try to get the next part up as soon as possible.

In the mean time, please let me know what you think so far. :)


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry this took so long. (I suck at writing Hendrickson.)

Also I was unsure about how this one would end. Hope you like it.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Sam kept a steady gaze on the FBI agent. Hendrickson had a cocky smile on his face, as if he already won. Of course, from where Sam was standing, he was probably right. They were in the park, no back up, no cover, no hope of getting help ...

"Keep your hands where I can see them."

Sam saw Dean take his left hand out of his pocket and show Hendrickson it was empty, while his right held his gun level.

"Fine … but I think my hand is the lest of your problems."

"And why is that?" Hendrickson smirked.

"I'm just saying …"

Sam's eyes shifted between the two as they stared each other down with slightly amused looks on their faces and adjusted his grip on his gun. He didn't know what Dean had in mind, but, with the obsessed Fed just five feet away, he was just going to have to wait and see.

"You're so quiet, Sam?" Hendrickson asked. "What's wrong, your brother inherit all the confidence … or is it arrogance?"

"Doesn't matter," Dean answered for him, "you're still an idiot."

"Oh? And how do you figure that?"

Dean grinned at him for so long, Sam was starting to wonder if he was waiting until Hendrickson's entire FBI team was coming down on them.

"Well, spit it out man. Come on, don't be bashful."

"Hendrickson, you are alone with one gun, at the park, against two armed men … you might have wanted to think this through a bit more, huh?"

"Who says I don't have back up on the way?"

"Who says we don't either?"

Hendrickson looked confused a second before Sam heard a muffled thump that sent the FBI agent crumpling to the ground. Bobby was standing behind him, tucking a gun back into the waistband of his jeans.

"You two okay?"

"Um … fine … how … ?" Sam stopped when Dean grinned.

He watched his brother pull his open cell phone out of his pocket.

"You gotta love speed dial."

As soon as they reached the house, Sam rushed through the door and up the stairs to Julius' room. He stopped when he heard crying on the other side of the closed door.

"Julius?"

The room went quiet and Sam slowly pushed the door open and saw his son curled up on his bare mattress, completely covered by his quilt, his Spiderman sheets in a crumpled heap in the corner.

"Julius, what's wrong?"

"I'm a bad kid."

Sam's jaw dropped at his statement.

"Julius … how can you even think that?"

"I … I got you and Uncle Dean hurt …"

Sam knelt down next to the bed and pulled the blue and white blanket aside.

"Julius, what happened today is not your fault."

"Yes it is!" He roughly wiped the tears from his eyes. "The monsters are coming after me, and you keep getting hurt. All of this is my fault!"

He pulled the blanket back over his head.

"And you can take away the sheets too … only good kids should have superheros."

Sam sat, stupefied.

"Julius … this isn't your fault … it's mine."

"No it isn't. You're a superhero, you save people, not hurt them."

"But it's me the monsters are coming after, not you."

"No! The evil lady that threw you into the wall and hurt Uncle Dean was after me!"

"But the shape-shifter was after me."

Julius whimpered, and Sam kicked himself for bringing up THAT incident. How was he going to fix this?

**~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~**

Dean reached his nephew's door and took in the scene. Julius was hiding under his quilt on a bare mattress with Sam kneeling next to the bed. The boy's favorite sheets were tossed aside, but what really caught Dean's attention was their conversation.

"Julius, the monster attacks were not your fault."

Man, could this kid be any more like Sam?

"Yes they are! If I wasn't around they wouldn't be attacking you."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, they aren't coming after you, they are coming after me."

Dean rolled his eyes. Are they SERIOUSLY fighting over with one of them gets to blame themselves for everything that goes wrong?

"Why can't we all just hug and get along?" He cut in.

Sam looked over his shoulder and Julius peeked out from under the blanket, both with dark expressions.

"Okay, you and Mini-me are giving me the heebe-jeebes."

Their faces changed to looks of confusion.

"What?" Sam asked,

"You two and your matching glares of death … it's creepy dude"

Turning away from their father/son "you're a jerk" expressions, Dean went back down the the kitchen and found Bobby stirring a pot of pasta.

"Macaroni and cheese … you spoil us."

"Shut up." He grumbled. "How's the kid?"

"Oh," Dean said casually, "he and Sam are taking turns blaming themselves for all the evil in the world."

Bobby looked up from the stove.

"Yup. I swear, that kid is Sam's clone or something. And I think they stay up late practicing synchronized glaring." He pulled the lid off the nearby cookie jar. "So, any leads on … anything?"

Bobby whacked Dean's hand with the spoon.

"Not yet."

"About the leads or desert?"

The older hunter shot him a look and moved their dinner over to the table.

"Right …" Dean sighed, "I'll go get Thing One and Thing Two."

"Hey, Dean?"

He stopped in the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"Go easy on Sam. He's dealing with a lot right now."

"Bobby, I'm the LAST person you need to instruct on how to deal with a moody Sam." He grinned, "I lived through his teens, remember?"

**~~~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~~**

Dinner passed in an awkward silence, both Sam and Julius staring at their plates and pushing their food around more then actually eating. After Julius took his bath and went to bed, Sam sat on the couch, eyes locked on the beer in his hands.

"You know, you can get more out of it if the bottle is open."

Sam shot his brother an annoyed look. Dean held up his hands and turned back towards the kitchen.

"I'm just saying …"

A few minutes later, Dean joined him with his own beer. Even though he didn't take his gaze off the bottle, he knew Dean was watching him. Sam tried harder to mask the guilt and pain that was slowly consuming him, made even stronger by the fact Julius thought it was HIS fault. How could Sam ever blame HIM? He was startled when Dean suddenly broke the silence.

"It will be alright you know."

Sam glanced up.

"How?"

"As soon as Kate's dead we'll get Julius out of here. Once he's in the wind, he'll be safe."

"Then what, Dean? Have him grow up without a home? I want to give him a better life then that."

Dean rubbed his hand over his mouth.

"We'll have to figure something out."

"When? When are we going to talk about this. Dean how come you shut down every time we talk about his future?"

Dean looked away, sadness in his eyes. Sam suddenly knew what was bugging him.

"Dean, you know I'm not going to leave you, right?"

"Well, what about Julius?" He muttered bitterly, "are you going to leave him then?"

Sam stared at the anger that seemed to be growing inside of his brother.

"Dean, I don't want to have to choose between you-"

He was cut off by the intense emotion that flashed across Dean's face before he turned away.

"Dean? Are you okay?"

He turned back to him, his expression calm and collected.

"Sorry dude, I was just remembering that waitress back in Missouri. I mean, talk about 'the show me state', she had such a hot as-"

"Dad?"

Sam shot Dean a warning glare, before turning to the sleepy boy in the doorway.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

"I … I had another nightmare."

Sam sighed and picked his son up on the way to the stairs. As he tucked Julius back into bed, his mind went back to the conversation on the couch. No doubt about it, that had been pain on Dean's face. Was he that afraid of being left behind … or was something else bothering him? It was late, he would leave him alone for now, but someday he WOULD find out what was wrong with his brother.

The next morning small hands gently shook him into awareness.

"Dad, it's time for breakfast. Wake up-"

"Here Squirt," Dean interrupted, "let me try."

"Where did you get that bucket, Uncle Dean?"

Sam's eye flew open to see Dean standing over him, holding up a plastic bucket, grinning.

"Do and DIE."

Dean glanced over at Julius.

"See, it worked."

The six year old rolled his eyes and squatted down next to Sam.

"Uncle Bobby made breakfast again."

"Sounds good. Why don't you meet me down there?"

"Okay."

Julius raced out of the room and Sam turned his attention back to his brother … who still had the bucket hovering over him … and a VERY mischievous grin on his face …

"Dean, don't you-"

**~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~~**

"Dude, you're dripping on the floor."

Sam glared at him and pulled a chair over to the table.

"Oh, and who's fault is that?"

Dean snickered as he stacked a few of Bobby's homemade pancakes on his plate.

"What'd you get him wet for?"

He reached over to mess up his nephew's hair.

"It's an older brother thing. You'll understand someday."

Julius turned to stare wide eyed at Sam.

"Dad, are you having a baby!?"

Dean choked on his coffee before almost falling over in a fit of laughter, Sam was not as amused.

"Julius … guys don't have babies."

Julius thought about this while Dean caught his breath.

"So where do they come from?" Julius asked.

"What?" Sam looked puzzled, as he helped himself to the stack of pancakes.

Julius rolled his eyes as if the answer was obvious.

"Babies, of course."

A silence fell over the table while Julius looked at each of the hunters in turn.

"Well? Where do they come from?"

Dean slowly pushed back from the table, got his plate, and ate the rest of the food on the porch leaving Sam and Bobby to explain the mysteries of life to his overly curious nephew. Not long after Bobby joined him, muttering about how he couldn't believe Heather had never told the kid about babies. Sam came out next, and last Julius stomped out in a huff.

"Why won't anyone answer my question?"

Dean sat at Sam's computer checking every newspaper and local website in a hundred miles. No sign of vampire activity anywhere. Frustrated he slammed the laptop shut and ran his hand through his hair. Until they found and killed Kate, it wasn't safe to run, but with anything and everything coming down on top of them, how safe was it to stay?

"Uncle Dean?"

He glanced over and saw Julius standing timidly in the doorway.

"What is it, squirt?"

"I never got to give you your picture."

Dean took the paper and smiled. It showed, what he assumed was him, wearing a red cape standing next to the Impala.

"This is awesome, thanks."

Julius smiled back, but fear clouded his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"When will Dad be back?"

Dean sighed, reminded once again of a young Sam Winchester.

"He went to the library, he'll be back when he is done researching."

"But what if a monster goes to the library?"

"Come on," Dean ruffled Julius' hair, "monster's can't read."

Julius seemed satisfied with that answer and ran up to his room. When he was gone, Dean checked his watch and took a calming breath. He had been so caught up in his own research that he hadn't noticed Sam had been gone for almost four hours. He briefly thought about waking Bobby, but since the older hunter had been on watch most of the night, he decided against it. Then he thought about going to the library to check on him, but with Bobby sleeping, that left Julius virtually unprotected. So he waited.

An hour later Dean was loosing his mind. Sam should have been home already and a call thirty minutes prior and revealed that he had forgotten to bring his cell phone. Writing a quick note to Bobby, Dean grabbed his coat and keys.

"Where are you going, Uncle Dean?"

"I'm just going to go pick your Dad up from the library."

Julius frowned.

"But, didn't he drive Uncle Bobby's truck?"

Dean groaned inwardly. Why did Sam's kid have to be so d$*% smart?

"I'm just going to check on him."

"Can I come to?"

Dean quickly weighed the options. If he took Julius with him, he might not be able to protect him if they found trouble, but if he left him then there was a chance no one would be able to protect him if something showed up. But one look into those pleading puppy dog eyes had Dean adding to the note.

"Get your coat."

When they pulled up to the library they saw Bobby's truck still in the parking lot. Dean turned to Julius.

"All right, let's review the rules."

"Stay with you at all times," Julius recited, "do whatever you say, and, if we run into trouble, hide until you say it's safe."

"And if someone tries to grab you?"

Julius pulled out a silver pocket knife.

"Use this."

Dean nodded and Julius shoved the small weapon back into his pocket. Taking his nephew by the hand, Dean lead the way to the section Sam would be in, but it was empty.

"Where's Dad?"

Julius' voice shook a little and Dean gave him a reassuring smile.

"He probably just got lost looking for a book or something. We'll find him."

Dean began to systematically search the building, which didn't take long since the small town didn't have a large library. When they still came up empty handed Julius was on the verge of tears, which didn't help his own panic levels at all.

"Did … did a monster get him?"

Dean barely stopped himself before he snapped at the kid, and took a deep breath. He didn't have time to freak out, he had to find Sam. With his distraught nephew in tow, Dean walked up to the front desk. Slipping on a calm mask, Dean smiled at the pretty volunteer, who blushed.

"How can I help you sir?"

Dean flipped out his wallet and pulled out a picture of Sam.

"I was wondering if you've seen my brother around here."

She studied the photo.

"Oh yeah, I remember he used the computer for a while."

Dean slipped the picture back in his wallet.

"Do you know where he is?"

She gave him a sad smile.

"I wish I could help, but he left hours ago."

Dean forced himself to stay calm when Julius' fist tightened it's grip on his coat. He nodded at the woman and took Julius back out to the Impala. Dean focused on the road on the short drive back to the house, trying to ignore the quiet sobs coming from the seat next to him. He didn't know where Sam was, but he was going to find out … he had to.

* * *

So, anyone surpised at how much Julius is becoming Sam's "Mini-me"?

I'll get the next part up as soon as I can.

In the meantime, please let me know how I am doing.


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry about the wait. My computer was being evil and would not let me save for over a week. (Grrrrrrrrrrr)

Anyway, here is what happened to Sam ...

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Sam woke up slowly, trying to remember what happened. He had been doing research on anyone name Lansing that was associated with the paranormal and had some luck. He had headed for the truck and realized he didn't have his cell phone on him. He remembered turning to go backed to the library to see it he had left it inside, but everything else was a blur. He put his hand to his pounding head, trying to get his fuzzy mind to tell him details. A large man … a sharp pain … weakness … darkness.

He forced his eyes open … which did no good since the area he was in was pitch black. He was laying in a dark room with barely enough floorspace for him to stretch out. Pushing himself to his feet, Sam explored his tiny prison. Minuets later, he had discovered he was in a closet, now illuminated by a single bulb, and something large and heavy was blocking the door making it impossible to break down.

So he sat down in the corner, wondering who or what had him and why. What if it was the shape-shifter? What if he had taken his place and was back home with Dean and Julius? What if it was the hunter's Gordon sent? What if they had found out about his son? What if it was the Kate? What if she was planing on taking them one by one? What if it was something else entirely? And what was happening to his family?

Sam tried to keep his emotions under control. He knew better then to let panic get a hold of him … but he couldn't completely suppress the fear rising inside him. He pulled his knees up and rested his forehead against them. He hoped his family was okay. He didn't want to think about what his disappearance would do to his brother, much less his son. Closing his eyes, he whispered a prayer.

"Watch over Dean and Julius, they have both been through so much already. Give Bobby the patience and wisdom to help them. Give us all strength to get through this … and please … please let me see them again. Amen."

**~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~**

Dean sat at the dinning room table, barely able to keep himself from throwing the, practically, useless computer out the window. He had swept the library and the surrounding area. No sulfur, no EMF, not even a d#*$ security camera. And, thanks to that freaking website, Sam could have been taken by anyone … or anything. Dean kicked himself for letting him go alone. If only he had gone with him, Sam would be safe with them instead of who knows were … if he was even … they would find him, they had to.

Dean was shaken from his thoughts when Bobby handed him a cup of coffee.

"Any luck?"

He answered with a glare. Bobby placed his hand on Dean's shoulder.

"We'll find him."

Dean nodded in agreement.

"I called Ash." Bobby said, sitting across from him. "He'll let us know if he finds anything."

"Thanks."

After several awkward minutes, Bobby broke the silence.

"How's Julius doing?"

Dean rubbed his face.

"Honestly, I don't know." he sighed. "The kid ran up to his room the second we got back."

"And you just left him there?"

Dean glared at his friend.

"What did you want me to do?"

"Be there for him, ya idjit."

Dean focused on his cup of coffee. He felt guilty as h&^* about it, but he was barely able to hold it together as it was. No way he could deal with an overly emotional six year old.

"Dean," Bobby's soft tone caught his attention, "you keep saying Julius is a mini Sam. Well, the only one who could really comfort Sam when he was scared was his big brother, and Julius doesn't have one of those … he only has you."

Dean gave Bobby a serious look.

"If I go talk to him will you end this chick-flick moment?"

"Just get up there." Bobby growled.

With a sigh, that sounded more like a groan, Dean made his way to his nephew's room. He could hear him crying as soon as he reached the top of the stairs. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

**~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam was startled awake when he heard the sound of a large piece of furniture being scrapped across the floor. He quickly got to his feet ready for whatever was coming. As soon as the door to his prison opened, Sam sprung onto the person on the other side. The startled man fell over and Sam made a break for the door, but instead found himself staring down the barrel of a .45.

"Nice try, Winchester." The gunman smirked, "but how about you cooperate so I won't have to shoot you."

Sam gave him a smirk of his own, but didn't take his eyes of the gun that was pointed straight at his chest. He barely had to look at the man's cropped, bleach blond, hair and dark brown eyes to know exactly who he was dealing with.

"If you wanted to hurt me you would have done it already … Lansing."

The gunman looked surprised.

"How did you … on never mind."

Sam tensed when he heard people moving behind him. He recognized one of them as the guy from the park, Lansing must had bailed him out. Sam took note of the rage in the man's eyes and decided not to push his luck, he didn't really feel like a rematch when the odds were reversed.

"Now why don't you stay still so my men can chain you up."

Sam just stared at him.

"I could always send some of my friends to that little white house …"

Sam glared and allowed the two men to lock the shackles around his wrists and ankles, bolting him to the floor.

"So what's this all about, Lansing?"

"You haven't figure it out?" he smirked.

"Um … that you're completely nuts?"

Lansing's face bore an expression of mock outrage.

"Me? Nuts? My dear boy, if you only knew the brilliance of my plan."

Sam was more then a little skeptical.

"You're a salesman."

Now Lansing really was offended.

"I am a businessman." he corrected. "specializing in supernatural talismans and charms."

"Yeah … you're a salesman."

Before Lansing could respond, the two men behind him pulled Sam back into a chair and a table was placed in front of him.

"What's this?"

"Well," Lansing began, only slightly less friendly then before, "you are most valuable to me if you are in peek condition."

While Sam watched them lay out a small but hearty meal of cold soup and sandwiches in front of him, the pieces fell together.

"You're Insane, you're going to sell ME!?"

Now Lansing was smiling again.

"I have heard a great deal about you, Sam Winchester. You are highly sought after in the supernatural community."

Sam took a calming breath.

"Lansing, you have no IDEA what you are doing. No one is going to pay a dime for me."

"You have that low of an opinion of yourself? I'm sure your brother would pay to get you back safe and sound."

Sam knew Dean would give up his life if it would keep him safe, but not in this situation.

"Actually," Sam corrected, "he is far more likely to just shoot you."

"Which is why I am not selling you to him."

Sam cursed under his breath. How do you reason with a moron?

"Listen to me … you CAN'T do this. Anything that wants me bad enough is not going to PAY you, they are going to KILL you."

Lansing smiled.

"I'm not an amateur, I have been dealing with supernatural merchandise for many years now."

"EXACTLY, merchandise. Have you ever actually run into a demon? Or a witch? Or a shape-shifter?"

"Every creature has their price."

Sam groaned. This was pointless, Lansing and his men were going to be killed and mostly likely take him down with them. The two men left the room with Lansing right behind them. He paused at the door to give Sam one last smile.

"Eat up, Winchester. You need to look good for the customers."

**~~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Dean walked into the kitchen and went straight to the fridge for a beer.

"How'd it go with Julius." Bobby asked from th counter.

He took a long drink, before sitting down next to his friend.

"That bad huh?"

Dean let out a frustrated sigh. It had taken almost fifteen minutes to convince the kid Sam was still alive, but there was one illusion he couldn't sway.

"He thinks it's his fault." Dean stated flatly.

Now it was Bobby's turned to sigh.

"You want me to talk to him?"

Dean shook his head.

"He's asleep. Besides, I don't think it would do much good anyway."

Bobby nodded in understanding. Julius was too much like his dad. Sam blamed himself for months after Jessica's death, no matter how many times Dean had tried to set him straight. What was it with these two?

His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone. Checking the caller id, Dean answered quickly.

"Ash? Please tell me you have good news."

"Well … that depends on your definition of 'good'."

Dean narrowed his eyes.

"Ash, I am so NOT in the mood for this. Do you have information or not?"

"Yeah, I have a lead for you."

As relieved as Dean was to hear that, he couldn't ignore Ash's tone.

"And how is this not good?"

"I should warn you, you are NOT going to like it."

"Ash …"

"Okay, just don't shoot the messenger. I found Sam-"

"What!? Where? Is he okay?"

"Calm down, I don't HAVE him. He's … on ebay."

"What the h$&^ is he doing there?"

"Um … getting bids."

Dean held the phone so tight he was surprised it didn't break.

"Someone …" he said through clenched teeth, "is selling Sam on EBAY!?"

Ash didn't answer but he didn't have to. Dean could barely keep his temper in check.

"Take it down." He ordered. "I want Sam off that site NOW!"

"No can do," the computer genius sighed, "not without tipping off the seller. But I set it up to do an auto bid. Don't worry, we aren't going to let Sam be sold to any fulgy b$s%a*d."

Dean took a few calming breaths … colorful words helping to expel his anger.

"Can you even sell a person on ebay?"

"Well, they found a way."

"Great." Dean muttered. "Do you know who 'they' are?"

"Only their screen name, but you'll be the first to know when I have anything solid."

"Thanks, Ash."

Dean hung up, moved to the dining room table, and flipped open Sam's computer.

"Did I just hear what I thought I did?" Bobby asked, following him from the kitchen.

Dean didn't answer, just pulled up the website. A few minutes later he found the right page. Dean's anger renewed as he scanned the details.

"Sam Winchester's shoe," he read aloud, "complete with attachments."

Bobby leaned over his shoulder.

"Any idea who charmsandmore68 is?"

"Ash is working on it."

He looked through the images, but the only one of Sam didn't go above his ankle. If that son of a b*&^$ had hurt his brother …

"Uncle Dean?"

Dean quickly shut the laptop and glanced over at his pajama clad nephew.

"What?"

"I had a nightmare … will you sleep in my room?"

Dean looked over at Bobby, who took the hint.

"I'll go up with you, Julius." he offered.

Julius nodded sadly and allowed Bobby to lead him back upstairs. Dean opened the laptop again, determined to find charmsandmore68. That last thing he was going to do tonight was sleep.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

After Sam had refused to touch his dinner, they put him back in the closet … this time anchoring him to the wall so as to avoid a repeat of before. Left alone, Sam's thoughts wandered back to his family. He hoped they were okay, but knew deep down, that they weren't. Dean would be tearing the town apart looking for him and Julius … he just hoped his son didn't loose him so soon after he lost his mom. At least Bobby was there, he would look after them.

Sam sat back in the corner and took his mind off of his family and instead tried to figure out how he was going to survive long enough to seed them again. Lansing was an idiot, he was going to get himself and his men killed. Sam wasn't sure who, or what, Lansing was trying to sell him to, but he knew it wouldn't be good. One thing was for sure, Sam wasn't planning on sticking around long enough to find out.

Getting to his feet, Sam examined every inch of his tiny prison, looking for even the smallest weakness. After what seemed like hours, Sam sat back in his corner defeated. A mouse couldn't escape from this closet. Resting his wrists on his knees, he leaned his head back against the wall.

"Nothing left for me to do, Dean," he whispered to the wooden panels, "now it's up to you."

* * *

I have the next chapter (almost) ready and will put it up VERY soon. :)

In the mean time, please let me know how I am doing.

BTW, only 6 chapters left. :)


	15. Chapter 15

Normally I would wait longer, but since the last chapter took so long to finish, I thought I would be nice and put this up now.

I just hope you still let me know what you think of the last chapter. (That is mostly a message for my consistent reviewers.)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own ebay either

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Sam stood up when he hear the barrier being removed from the closet door.

"Good morning." Lansing said cheerfully from the doorway. "And how are you to-"

He cut him off by connecting his fist with his captor's face.

"Well," Lansing's muttered, tenderly prodding his, now bloody, nose, "I guess that answers THAT question."

Sam just glared at him, well aware of the fact his hired muscle was ready to retaliate at the boss' request. Lansing, however, didn't seem phased by the blow.

"Does this mean you don't want breakfast?"

Hungry as he was, there was no way he was taking anything from this guy. But it looked like Lansing wasn't going to take no for an answer this time.

"You know, if you are going to starve yourself, be my guest. I'm sure I could make just as much money from your son … maybe even more …"

Sam stepped forward, pulling against the shackles.

"If you go near him," he said coldly, "you're a dead man."

"I'm happy to leave him alone … as long as you cooperate."

Without another choice, Sam allowed them to chain him to the floor and bring back the table and chair. Lansing sat across from him, enjoying his own plate of scrambled eggs and bacon while Sam just stared at his.

"Eat." Lansing ordered.

Grudgingly, Sam nibbled on a piece of bacon.

"You have to be hungrier then that. You didn't even touch your dinner."

"Why do you care?"

Lansing sighed and looked him in the eye.

"Because, Winchester, I am a business man, and having my merchandise sick from hunger is bad for business."

"Well, getting yourself killed can't be that great either."

"This again," he groaned. "This isn't my first rodeo, Winchester. I know who I am dealing with."

Sam rolled his eyes, doubting the idiot would last two minutes after whatever he contacted showed up.

"In fact," he smiled, "I am quiet please with how the transaction is going so far."

He motioned to the man from the park who handed him a laptop.

"Despite your earlier claims, you are quite the commodity."

Lansing swiveled the computer around so the screen was facing his captive. Once he got over the fact there was a picture of his shoe on ebay, Sam took notice of how high the bid was getting and a whole string of colorful words ran through his head. The screen names didn't do much to make him feel better either. He glared at Lansing's smug expression.

"Dean's gonna kill you." explanation

"Oh, I highly doubt that."

"Your right," Sam nodded, "you probably won't survive that long."

**~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~~**

Dean rubbed his eyes and once again tried to focus on the screen, but the words kept blending together. He slammed the laptop shut in frustration and noticed movement by the stairs.

"U-uncle Dean?" Julius peeked around the corner. "Are you okay?"

No, he was NOT okay. Sam was who knows where being bid on like a piece of property. And the screen names hadn't escaped Dean's attention. Apparently, Sam's description was enough to get even the human crowd excited. If one of these sick b#s&a%ds laid a hand on his brother … he took a calming breath before answering his nephew.

"I will be."

Julius slowly walked over, stopping behind the chair next to Dean.

"Do you know what took Dad?"

Dean glared at the computer.

"A human," he muttered, "a d*%& human."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Julius bit his lower lip and look at the floor.

"You'll find him, Uncle Dean." he whispered, "I know you will."

Before he could respond, Julius had disappeared back up the stairs.

"He's right."

Dean glanced up just as Bobby held out a cup of coffee. Taking the cup with mumbled thanks, Dean sipped the bitter brew silently. He knew he was going to find Sam ... there was no other option.

"Did you get any sleep?"

Choosing to ignore the dumb question, Dean flipped out the laptop again.

"I got a call from one of my contacts this morning." Bobby continued, "said he's heard of this Lansing guy."

Now he had Dean's full attention.

"Who is he?"

"Real name's Landis Sigismund."

"I see why he changed it."

"Yeah, well, he's a supernatural peddler. Low level stuff, talismans and charms mostly."

That explains the screen name.

"So, why Sam?"

Bobby's expression turned grim and Dean knew the answer. There were dozens of things out there that would pay to get their hands on Sam, and even more that would kill for it. Lansing was an idiot. Glancing over to the computer he saw they had less then seven hours left in the auction. They were running out of time.

**~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam paced the closet, trying to come up with something, anything, that might help Dean find him. Checking his watch, he estimated that he had a little more then three hours until the bidding closed. He also saw they would be bringing him lunch any time now. Maybe if he … he let the thought die before it even formed. Even if he could get out of the chains, no way he could take on Lansing and his men. Besides, he couldn't risk it. If he became too damaged, Lansing might follow through with his threat and go after Julius. The idea of his son advertised on ebay … it made him sick just thinking about it. He shoved thought from his mind, Dean and Bobby would never let that happen. They would take care of him … they would meet his needs … Sam checked his watch again. It was, at best, a long shot, but it was the only shot he had.

Going to the door, he banged on it as hard as he could.

"LANSING!" He yelled. "LANSING GET IN HERE!"

Just when he was starting to think it was hopeless, Sam heard the barrier being moved away and the door swung open.

"What is it?" Lansing asked, irritably.

"I'm hungry."

Lansing stared at him in shock.

"That's it? You're hungry?"

Sam forced his expression to stay calm when Lansing turned suspicious.

"Hey, as soon as what ever you are selling me too shows up, I'm as good as dead. You can at least give me a last meal."

Sam prayed this guy was as big an idiot as he thought he was.

"It's your own fault for not eating," Lansing pointed out, "but ... I'll make sure you get something good for lunch."

"Can I make a request?"

Lansing thought about it and smiled.

"Why not. Let me know what you want and I'll even pick it up for you myself."

Sam resisted the urge to smile. This was going better then he thought … now if only it worked.

**~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~**

Dean leaned back against the diner's counter, watching the customers coming and going, waiting for his order to be ready. He kept checking his watch, counting down the minute Sam had left. If only he had some sort of lead. Dean turned around, resting his elbows on the laminate surface, barely acknowledging the new customer coming up to the counter next to him.

"Hello there." The man said cheerfully.

"You sound happy." The waitress said.

Dean rolled his eyes and checked his watch again. Sam only had three hours left in his auction, he was in no mood for happy people.

"Oh I am," the man confirmed, "I have a big business deal going down today. If all goes well, I will be a rich man very soon."

"Sounds great." The waitress continued, "Just remember to share the wealth."

"With you, I will share anything."

Can't the guy just shut up and eat?

"So what can I get you?"

"Can I have my order to go?"

"Sure, hon."

Thank God.

"Great. I need a cheeseburger, with extra onions, and a slice of blackberry pie."

Now that sounded familiar …

Dean studied the man with short, bleached, hair and dark brown eyes. It could be a coincidence that this man was ordering the exact same thing as him … at the same diner he always goes to … at the same time as him … it could be a coincidence, but since when did Winchesters trust in coincidences? Seconds later Dean got his order, but had decided to have some coffee before he hit the road again. Thankfully, the man seemed too preoccupied flirting with the waitress for him to notice the hunter watching his every move. It was kinda sad, since the man was only a few feet away. When the waitress brought out his order, the man slipped her a business card, took his food, and headed for the parking lot. Leaving his own order on the counter with a promise to come right back, Dean followed him to a, late model, silver sedan with a license plate that said it all.

_LANSING_

Dean caught the door before it could close. Lansing looked up to protest, and found himself looking at the business end of Dean's favorite Colt 1911. His gaze slowly moved from the barrel to the hunter, but he seemed perfectly calm.

"Ah … Winchester," his tone was professional, "I wondered if we would meet."

Dean almost shot him for his lack of fear alone, but that wouldn't help him find Sammy.

"Where's my brother you son of a b%*^$?"

"Now, we are all adults here, I think we can have a civilized conversation on the matter."

"I think we moved passed civilized when you decided to auction Sam off to the highest bidder."

"Mr. Winchester, I think I have been more then fair in this matter."

Dean stared at the man. Fair? He called taking Sam and selling him on the Internet fair?

"You must be pretty twisted if you think THIS is fair."

"But I have been. I have not harmed your brother, I gave him food … in fact, this very meal is for him."

"You're selling him on EBAY."

"And you are welcome to bid, but I should warn you the cost is quite high since two people have it on auto bid."

Dean kept his face neutral, but his mind was racing. Who, other then Ash, had him on auto bid. Luckily this Lansing guy was as difficult to manipulate as play-dough.

"Two?"

"Yes, DrBada$#52 has been around since the beginning, and doublesbrother241 started just before I got here. I wonder which one will be the last bid?"

Dean glared at the smug expression on Lansing's face, knowing full well what put it there. He knew Dean couldn't shoot him, not without putting Sam at risk, and he also knew that bidding was just about over. The guy thought he already won.

"If you excuse me, Winchester, I should get this food to you brother so he can eat before the sale."

Dean lean in, dropping his voice to a menacing whisper.

"I WILL get Sam back," he promised. "and when I do, you better pray that whatever you contact kills you before I get there."

Lansing let out an exasperated sigh.

"As I told your brother, I am an experienced business man. I know how to deal with these kinds of people."

"For your sake, hope you're wrong."

"Don't you mean 'I hope'?"

Dean grinned.

"Nope."

**~~~~~~~~~~Sam' POV~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam paced the closet, wondering if his plan had worked, if Dean was on his way. He checked his watch, two hours left. Finally, he heard the barrier moving and Lansing's men took him back out into the room. It wasn't until he was secured to the floor at seated at the table that Lansing came in … with a black eye.

"Interesting family you have, Winchester." he grumbled, putting the paper bag on the table between them. "And before you get your hopes up, I made sure he didn't follow me."

Sam shrugged, he knew Dean wasn't going to give up. If anyone could find a way, he could. Sam was jerked from his thoughts when a large hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Would you like me to get some pay back for your eye, sir?"

Sam recognized the voice from the park, and had no desire to add to his, still tender, bruises.

"Thank you for the offer, Baits, but no."

Lansing looked almost embarrassed, and Sam wondered what Dean did.

"But sir," the other complained, "by hitting you, he's just asking for us to pound his brother."

"No, Holden … I … um … I asked for this."

Now Sam was really confused, as were Baits and Holden.

"What?" Baits exclaimed. "How did YOU ask for it?"

You mean, Sam thought bitterly, BESIDES kidnapping me and selling me on ebay?

"That Dean Winchester is a con artist." Lansing spat.

Sam bit his tongue and stayed as still as possible, hoping that if they forgot he was there he might find out what happened at the diner.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Holden wondered.

"He tricked me," Lansing whined, "he asked if he could give me something to show his brother he hadn't given up on him."

Sam burst out laughing.

"You gave him permission to punch you?"

"It's not funny, Winchester," Lansing growled, "Now eat your food."

Still chuckling, Sam took out the cheeseburger and proceeded to pull off the onions.

"Wait," Lansing looked puzzled, "I thought you liked onions."

"No," Sam grinned, "Dean does. And one of you can have the pie, I don't want it."

Lansing's jaw dropped.

"You … you manipulated me."

Sam's smile widened as he took a big bite of his lunch.

"You knew he would be there, didn't you?"

Sam shook his head.

"I can honestly say I didn't."

Lansing glared and left the room, returning a minute later with his lap top.

"If you two are going to play dirty, then so am I."

He typed away at the keys, smiling coldly.

"Did you know that ebay has an option for ending an auction earlier then planned?"

Sam could just watch helplessly as Lansing confirmed the sale.

"Congratulations, Winchester, you are now the property of … doublesbrother241."

* * *

So ... I guess this means I should get started on the next chapter, huh?

BTW, if you pay attention to the ebay names you should know who lost and who won. :)

(And I know ebay names are just letters and numbers. The symbols in DrBada$#52 are in the place of two S's, I just don't swear. ;) )


	16. Chapter 16

To be honest, I was a little surprised that only 2 people managed to figure out who bought Sam. But, here is the answer for the rest of you ...

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Dean had barely set the food on the table and when Bobby came out of the kitchen.

"We have a problem."

"What?"

"Lansing ended the auction early … Ash lost."

"WHAT!?"

Dean paced towards the living room and back again, muttering curses. This was his fault, if he hadn't punched Lansing …

"Do we know who won?"

"Doublesbrother241."

"Who the h$&% is that?"

"Ash is working on it."

He punched the wall hard enough to put his fist through the plaster.

"Son of a b&*%^!" he seethed. "I should have killed Lansing when I had the chance."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw him at the diner." Dean explained, still pacing, "he was right there and I let the b#s$a*d get away. Now he's sold Sam to who knows what."

"We'll find him Dean."

"We'll find both of them, and when I do I'm gonna-"

He cut off when Bobby grabbed his arm, looking past him. Dean turned and caught sight of a small, tear streaked, face.

"He … he sold my dad?" He whispered, "Are they gonna …"

Dean got down so they he was face to face with his nephew.

"Julius, listen to me," he said firmly, "Sam will be just fine. I'll bring him back. Okay?"

Julius nodded, wiping his tears with his sleeve, and went back upstairs. Dean grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

Dean paused, halfway out the door.

"Lansing isn't the only one who can flirt with a waitress."

Dean knew a lot about how to disappear. When there is someone after your blood, it is not a good idea leave a trail. This includes having a traceable cell phone and giving the number to a chatty waitress … especially in front of the person who wants to rip your lungs out. Lansing, on the other hand, was a complete moron and had never bothered to learn these things. Within an hour of the sale ending, Dean was speeding down the highway, hoping he wasn't too late, with only one certainty … one way or another, this was going to be Lansing's last deal.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam paced the two foot circle his shackles allowed him to move in. They hadn't bothered putting him back in the closet, instead had left him alone to wait for his fate in the empty bed room. If only Dean HAD somehow followed Lansing, I mean the guy wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed … but deep down he knew it was hopeless. He was about to be sold off like cattle and no one could stop it, not even him. He didn't even know WHAT doublesbrother241 was, but was sure they wouldn't be friendly. Most likely, he would be dead by morning … or at least wishing he was. If only he could have seen Dean and Julius one last time …

His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and Lansing came in with his two men and one stranger. The newcomer looked to be in his early thirties, but that only went SO far in Sam's world. He had short black hair and, though his pale gray eyes were filled with unadulterated hate, he was smiling.

"Well, here he is."

Sam glared as Lansing slipped into salesman mode. Prattling on about his qualities like he was a new car. The buyer didn't seemed to be paying much attention, instead studied the chains that kept Sam in place and stood, just out of Sam's reach, grinning.

"Hello Sam." He said smugly. "Remember me?"

Honestly, Sam had no idea who he was.

"I'll give you a hint."

The man blinked and his eyes became an almost reflective white with black pupils.

"Holy s&^*!"

With everything else going on he had almost forgotten about the d#*^ shape-shifter.

"So you do remember me?" his grin widened. "And after I'm done with you, your brother will never forget me."

"Yes … well …" Lansing stepped forward, "what you do with him is your business … but we still have the small matter of payment."

The shape-shifter turned his wicked grin towards the business man.

"Of course."

He reached into his coat and pulled out the long knives.

"That's not-"

Sam could only watch as the shape-shifter threw each knife with deadly accuracy. The first two buried themselves in the hearts of the two bodyguards, killing them instantly, while the third was slightly off allowing Lansing a few more minutes then his men. The shape-shifter leaned over and watched him choke on his own blood.

"Thank you for finding him for me, I am most grateful."

When Lansing's gurgled gasps stopped, the killer set his sights on his next target. Sam instinctively moved into a defensive position, but knew the chains made it useless.

"Ah, finally … alone time."

**~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Dean picked the lock on the back door and moved silently through the house. Lansing's car was the only one out front, but Dean wasn't taking any chances. He just hoped he wasn't too late. Hearing movement upstairs, Dean made his way to an open door on the second floor. Barely noticing the three bodies, he locked his gaze on the two figures struggling in the center of the room. Sam was shackled to the floor, making it impossible for him to fight back as the other man choked him with one hand and ran the tip of a knife down his jaw with the other. Dean didn't know or care who the man was, he took two seconds to assess the scene and fired.

The shots had enough force to knock him off of Sam, but that's all. The man stood, faced him, then turned toward Sam, flexing the hand that still held the knife.

"Shape-shifter" Sam gasped.

While the attacker lunged, Dean switched out his clips and let off two more shots. This time, the thing was dead before he hit the ground.

Rushing to his brothers side, he looking over Sam for injuries.

"I'm okay, Dean."

Nodding, he checked him out anyway. For a Winchester, the proper response for anything short of dismemberment was 'I'm okay'. Fortunately, this time, the claim wasn't an exaggeration. Aside from some bruising and a couple of shallow cuts, Sam was fine. Quickly picking the locks, Dean glared at the marks on Sam's writs and ankles, one more reason he wish Lansing was still alive … so he could kill him. But that didn't matter now, the only important thing was getting his brother home.

**~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~**

Sam rubbed the bandage on his jaw while he stared out the window. Even though he was safe for the moment, he knew the battle was far from over. He wondered what was going to happen when he got back to the house. Sam couldn't wait to see Julius again, but he couldn't help but wonder how his son had been since he left. It had only been one day, but if Julius was as much like him as he thought he was …

"How's Julius?"

Dean didn't respond, which was a clear enough answer.

"I'll talk to him," Sam murmured, "he needs to know it's not his fault."

He wasn't sure if he was telling Dean or himself, he didn't even know if he could convince the boy his abduction had nothing to do with him. But there was one thing Sam knew, he had to try.

As soon as Sam made it into the house, he headed straight for Julius' room. No sooner had he opened the door then he received the six year old version of a football tackle.

"Dad! You're okay!"

"Yeah," he grunted, gently loosening the grip on his bruised ribs, "I'm fine."

He felt the damp spots forming on his shirt, as Julius tried to hide his tears.

"I'm sorry, Dad … I'm so sorry …"

"It's not your fault." Sam interrupted, "he was after me for who I am. There is no way this is your fault."

Julius just sobbed quietly while Sam continually reminded him that he wasn't to blame. After a few minutes Julius pushed back, looking at him with tear filled eyes.

"I thought … I was so scared that …"

Sam wiped a tear from his son's cheek.

"Hey, it's okay." he gave him a reassuring smile, "everything is okay now."

Julius wrapped his small arms around Sam's neck.

"I love you, Dad … don't ever leave me again."

Sam bit his lower lip, this was one thing he just couldn't promise.

"Julius … no matter what happens … I will never leave you alone."

**~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~**

While Sam showed Julius he was still alive, Dean stretched out on the couch. He hadn't slept in over thirty hours and the exhaustion was starting to get to him. He woke up when someone entered to the room. Looking over, he gave his friend a weary smile.

"Hey Bobby."

"Sam doing okay?"

"Should be. He went up to see Julius right after we got home."

"Well, I haven't seen either of them since then."

Dean checked his watch, noting that he had been asleep for almost six hours.

"Why don't you go up and check on them?" Bobby suggested, "I'm going to go do a security sweep before dinner."

Dean nodded, shoving himself off the couch. When he reached Julius' room he smiled at the sight that greeted him. The toddler bed was empty, instead Sam was laying on his side on the floor, his body curled around his son. Julius had snuggled up to his dad's chest, grasping fistfuls of Sam's shirt. They both looked so peaceful, he didn't have the heart to wake them … but it didn't stop him from snapping a picture or two with his phone. Dean snatched the quilt off the bed and covered the two of them up before heading back downstairs.

He didn't see Bobby and figured he was still doing the sweep. Still feeling tired, even after his nap, Dean laid back down, knowing Bobby wouldn't have any problem waking HIM up for dinner. He had just begun to doze when he heard the quiet steps of a hunter entering the room, but this time when he opened his eyes he was immediately put on edge … this time he was staring down the barrel of a .45 pistol.

"Don't bother getting up Dean," the gunman sneered, "we won't be here long."

Dean studied the stranger, A scar ran down his deeply tanned cheek, his dusty blond hair was cropped short, his dark brown eyes were hard, and he wore a pentagram around his neck. If this guy wasn't a hunter, Dean would eat his colt for breakfast … but that meant … Sammy! Dean instinctively tensed, ready to do anything to keep him away from his family.

"I wouldn't …" he warned, "not if you want the old man to remain breathing."

Dean glared at the man, but stayed still.

"What did you do to him?"

"Oh, he's fine." The hunter smiled. "You behave yourself and it will stay that way."

Dean wished he could wipe that smirk off his face, but could risk Bobby's life. His fear skyrocketed when he heard Julius scream. Dean jumped to his feet, but the other hunter was faster, moving out of his reach while simultaneously cocking his gun.

"Not another step." He ordered.

From where he was standing, Dean could see the shadow of another intruder in the kitchen and, by the sounds of it, there was at least two more upstairs. Knowing the slightest move could mean a bullet for any one of the three people he cared about, Dean could only stand there, helplessly listening to his nephew's cries.

**~~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam positioned himself between Julius and their attackers. One of the two was about his size, and had a large caliber hand gun clutched in his fist. His brown dreads were pulled away from his pale face, exposing his cold gray eyes and wicked grin. The second was only slightly smaller with copper colored skin, a thick black pony tail and was eying Julius, like he was some dead thing his dog dragged in, while flexing his grip on the long, jagged knife in his hand. Sam focused on the men, trying not to think about what it meant for Dean and Bobby if these b%s#a*ds had gotten past them. Julius was holding on to the back of his shirt for dear life, scared to tears. He wished he could wrap him in in his arms and take the pain away, but, for now, he was forced to ignore him.

"Just take it easy," the larger of the two said softly, "no one has to get hurt here … especially your brother."

Sam sucked in his breath. Had they done something to Dean?

"He's fine," the other grunted, "and will be as long as you cooperate."

Glaring at the two, Sam ran through his options. The LAST thing he wanted to do was give into whatever these guys had in mind, but what if he resisted and Dean got hurt? Or Julius? Or Bobby? He couldn't let that happen.

"If I go with you, will you leave the others alone?"

"Dad, no!" Julius wailed.

Without taking his eyes off their assailants, Sam reached back two place a comforting hand on his son's cheek.

"It will be okay, Julius."

The two men smirked as his reassurance.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Sammy."

"It's Sam," he growled, "now do we have a deal or not?"

"How about this …" the smaller one twirled his blade, "you and the brat come with us and we don't kill your beloved brother."

Julius whimpered and the grip on his shirt tightened. Sam shifted, blocking the boy completely.

"You are not taking him." He seethed through clenched teeth.

"We are taking him whether you like it or not," the larger one stated, "the only question is … how many bodies are we going to leave behind when we do?"

Looked like he didn't have a choice. If he fought back, Sam had no doubts that Dean or Bobby would get hurt or killed. So, he could only stand there as the men advanced, grabbed him, and force him to lay on his stomach. While he felt zip-ties being fastened around his wrists, binding his hands behind his back, he could hear Julius screaming as he was dragged from the room. Seconds later, with the gun jammed firmly against his spine, Sam followed, praying that his family would make it through this one.

* * *

Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Hopefully my editor and I get back into the writing/editing craze that resulted in so many updates in one day. :)

Anyway, let me know what you think and I'll get the next one to you just as soon as I can.


	17. Chapter 17

Here ya go ...

(And please read the notes at the end.)

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Sam kept his eyes locked on Julius as the men forced the two of them towards the stairs, anger burning through him as one yanked on his son's arm hard enough to make him yelp.

"Hurt him and you're dead." He growled.

He could almost hear the gunman smirk behind him.

"Quite a threat, considering YOU'RE the one who is going to die."

"No!" Julius whimpered, trying to twist out of the man's grasp.

"Don't worry, little boy," his captor sneered, tightening his grip, "you won't be an orphan for long."

Reaching the stairs, the man tuck Julius under his arm and carried the struggling child to the first floor, while the gunman prodded Sam to follow.

"Let me go! Please!" He protested, "Uncle DEEEEEEEEAN!"

Sam held his breath, dreading what he would find when he reached the bottom of the steps. To his relief Dean seemed fine, mad as h&%$, but unhurt. Another gunman was positioned between them and his brother, preventing him from helping them. The one holding Julius dropped him on the floor at Sam's feet earning dark glares from both brothers.

"Leave him alone." Dean demanded.

"Don't worry …" he flexed his hand around the knife's handle, "It will be quick."

For one horrifying second, Sam was sure he was about to witness his son's murder. Unable to think he sent Dean a pleading look. They had to do something … FAST!

"You know what?" Dean said, getting everyones attention, "string theory is awesome."

In the moment of confusion that followed, Julius bolted down the hall, he grabbing a string that hung from the ceiling, before diving into the bathroom. As soon as Julius pulled the string, Sam dropped to the floor and rolled under the table … milliseconds before the wall by the door exploded.

**~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~~**

Dean had leaped behind the couch as soon as he saw Sam get to safety, and not a moment too soon. The blast echoed through the house, sending debris flying. Reaching under the couch, he retrieved the gun they had hidden there in case of emergencies. Getting to his feet, he noticed Sam hadn't moved. Resisting the urge to check on him, Dean knew he had to eliminate the threat first. The blast had knocked out the two men who had gone upstairs while the gunman who had kept him from following groaned on the floor. A third gunman ran in from the kitchen and Dean leveled his gun to the man's chest.

"Don't move!"

The man froze, staring at his bloody companions. Bobby emerged from the kitchen a second later, his own gun trained on the man.

"Drop it." Dean ordered.

The man tightened his grip on his 9mm.

"Take a look at your friends before you decide to test me."

With a dark glare the man tossed his gun aside and Bobby quickly went to retrieve it.

"You all right, Bobby?"

"I'm fine. What about you guys?"

"I'll let you know."

With Bobby covering the gunman, Dean moved over to the coffee table. Pieces of plaster covered it, hiding his brother from view.

"Sam?"

He heard a cough from behind the rubble and a few chunks of the wall were kicked away.

"Dean? You okay?"

"Hey, I'm not the one buried in a wall."

Dean raised his gun as the first gunman pushed himself to his feet.

"There is no way the neighbors didn't notice that, so I will give you one chance here," Dean stated, "take your friends and go … or you can explain to the cops why you were trying to kill a six year old and his dad. I have a feeling they won't believe the whole 'Anti-Christ' thing."

Shooting the three hunter's death glares, the two gunman grabbed their partners, each using a fireman's carry, and headed for the hole.

"One more thing," Dean added, his tone deadly serious, "if you ever come near my family again … I'll kill you."

Once the hunters were gone, Dean and Bobby help Sam to his feet. Pulling out his knife, Dean freed his brothers hands.

"And you said it was a stupid idea to hide a grenade in the wall." Dean smirked.

"No," Sam grunted, rubbing his wrists, "that was Bobby. What I said was stupid was disguising the trigger as the entrance to an attic … on the first floor, of a TWO story house."

Dean shrugged, still grinning.

"It worked didn't it?"

Sam narrowed his eyes and carefully stepped through the mess that was once the living room.

"I'm going to check on Julius. You two might want to come up with what we are going to tell the police … and try to avoid mentioning killer rats."

"Okay … Kamikaze hamsters then?"

Sam paused, rolled his eyes, and disappeared down the hall.

"What are you going to tell the police?" Bobby wondered.

"No clue."

"You could always try the truth."

Dean gave him a skeptical look.

"That I blew up the wall to stop some psychos who think my brother is the Anti-Christ and my nephew is demon spawn? You really think they'll by it?"

"Well if you put it that way-" He cut off when they heard sirens approaching. "Whatever you going to say, you better come up with it quick."

**~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam gently pushed open the bathroom door and looked around the dark room.

"Julius?"

"Dad!?"

A second later Julius flung himself into his arms, sobbing.

"It's okay, son." Sam soothed, rubbing Julius' back, "they're gone now. It's all okay."

Hearing that the police arrive, Sam picked him up and walked back to … what was left of the living room. Two uniformed officers were talking to Dean who looked really upset.

"This group of maniacs broke in and attacks us!" He seethed.

At least they didn't have to fake their feelings. Sam wished he had had five minutes alone with the b$s*a#d who had dared to lay a hand on his son.

"Can you describe these men?" One of the policemen asked.

He looked to be in his mid to late forties with graying black hair and light brown skin. While Dean describe the hunters, the second officer moved towards Sam. He had light blond hair that was almost a contrast to his tanned skin. He look more like he belonged on a beach then in law enforcement, but his manner was very professional.

"I'm officer Briggs, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

Julius tensed, tightening his hold on his dad's neck.

"Do we have to talk to him?" He whispered.

"I'll be brief." Briggs promised.

Sam looked at Dean who nodded.

"Um … all right."

Moving to the dinning room table where they would be more comfortable, Sam set Julius, sideways, on his lap and faced the cop.

"So," Briggs pulled out his notebook, "can you tell me what happened here?"

Julius shuddered, pressing harder into his dad's chest.

"We were attacked," Sam replied, absentmindedly rubbing his hand up and down Julius' arm, "I was upstairs with my son-"

"What were you doing."

"Sleeping."

"Together?"

Sam glared at the officer.

"What EXACTLY are you implying?" He growled.

"Just trying to get the facts, sir."

"The fact is two armed men woke me up and stuck a gun in my face." Sam seethed, "and you want to know what I was doing there?"

Suddenly, Dean appeared at his side.

"What's wrong?"

"They want to know if Julius and I were-" Sam paused to take a calming breath, "why we were sleeping in the same room."

Dean narrowed his eyes at the officer.

"What," Dean asked through clenched teeth, "does THAT have to do with ANYTHING?"

"As I told your brother, I am just checking the facts?"

"Well how about you check the marks on Sam's wrists from the zip ties? How about you check the knife some b&s%a*d threatened my nephew with?"

"Dean," Bobby put his hand on the older brother's shoulder, before turning to the officer. "Julius' mom died not that long ago and he has nightmares about it. The only thing that helps is having his dad nearby, so Sam sleeps on the floor."

Briggs nodded and made a few notes.

"Thank you gentleman." He said, dismissing Dean and Bobby.

They did walk away, but Sam knew they were still watching closely.

"Then what happened?"

Still glaring, Sam gave the rest of his statement.

"So you didn't actually see all of the attackers?"

"I only got a good look at the two that went upstairs," he relied honestly, "but I think my brother saw all of them."

"And how were they armed?"

"Three had guns and one had a knife."

"Do you know what they wanted?"

Sam hesitated, glancing over to his brother for any cues.

"They tried to take me." A small voice interrupted. "The man with the knife grabbed my arm and pulled on it."

Briggs frown, making notes while Sam hoped Dean had heard so that their stories would match.

"Which arm did they grab?"

Julius slowly pushed up his left sleeve and revealed a large bruise on his forearm in the shape of a hand. Sam clenched his teeth against the long list of things that he couldn't say in front of his son, and he didn't miss the dark looks that crossed Dean and Bobby's faces.

"How did the men blow up the wall?"

Sam held his breath, knowing how much Julius valued honesty.

"I didn't see the wall blow up." Julius almost whispered. "I got away and hid in the bathroom."

He turned away, burying his face in the crook of Sam's shoulder.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore." He mumbled.

"Look," Sam said, "it's late and he's been through a lot. Dean can tell you anything you need to know. Is it okay if I take upstairs?"

Briggs shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but both of you will have to wait down here until we are done."

"But that could take hours. Please?"

But not even the puppy dog eyes could get them out of there. Instead Sam pulled a chair to the corner farthest from the wreckage, Julius nestled in his arms, waiting for this new nightmare to end.

**~~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Dean surveyed the police that swarmed over the wreckage like ants, looking for the cause. They seemed to be buying his story that four armed men broke in, attacked them, and tried to kidnap his nephew. They even believed that the four guys had brought the grenade and blowing up the wall had been an accident. He wasn't worried about that. What made Dean nervous, however, was how they picked so throughly through the wreckage. He was just waiting for someone to find a weapon with his prints on it.

"Mr. Cole?"

Dean turned his attention from the damage to a plainclothes detective, thankfully not one he met on his day as FBI Agent Rhys.

"Yes?"

"I'm Detective Kruger. How are you holding up?"

Dean waved a hand at the giant hole.

"Oh, just fine. I hated that wall, anyway."

"Yes, well, this might cheer you up. We believe we found them, but we need you to preform a positive ID."

"What do you mean, 'you believe'?"

"It's the whole 'innocent until proven guilty thing'." Kruger explained, "but either these men are the one who attacked you or they were playing with fireworks."

Dean smirked, thinking how hard it must have been to come up with a cover story for getting blown up.

"Where are they now?"

"Three are in the hospital, the other is in a holding cell." Kruger gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, they won't hurt your family again. The courts are not kind to people who attack children … neither are prisons."

Though Dean had no doubt a bunch of hunters could handle themselves in prison just fine, and would probably find a way out someday, he smiled back.

"Thanks." Suddenly a thought struck him. "Hey, is Julius going to have to do the ID thing too? I mean, he's been through a lot lately."

"I understand, but we need him to tell us which one hurt him. We will also need to photograph their bruises."

"Can it at least wait until morning?"

Kruger thought for a moment.

"We can probably wait on the ID, but we will need to document the bruises tonight."

Dean sighed and motioned for Bobby to go get Julius, before glancing over as one of the investigators pulled a large caliber gun out of the wreckage. His mood darkened when he realized that must have been the weapon that was used to force Sam to cooperate.

"I know how you feel." Kruger sighed, "I have a brother and a nephew of my own, and if someone ever pulled a stunt like this with them, dental records would be the only way to identify them."

"Don't worry about that," Dean smirked, "if I ever get my hands on these b#s&a^ds, you wouldn't be able to FIND the body."

The detective laughed as if Dean wasn't serious.

"Can't this wait!" Sam voice called from the dinning room. "Hasn't he been through enough!?"

Should have seen this coming.

"Don't shoot the messenger Sam, I'm just telling you what the detective said."

"Well you can tell the detective to-"

"Sam!" Dean yelled, "Just bring him over here. You can sit back down in five minutes, tops."

A few minutes later a glaring Sam followed Bobby out of the dinning room, cradling his son against his chest. Julius stared wide eyed at the detective, gripping Sam shirt like his life depended on it. Kruger introduced himself and called over one of the photographers while Sam propped Julius on his hip and Dean helped him roll up his sleeve. As soon as they were done with the boy, Dean held Julius while the photographer snapped a few pictures of Sam's wrists. Just as predicted, the whole thing took under five minutes and the two of them returned to their little corner.

**~~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam waited at the counter, glancing back to where Dean, Bobby, and Julius were waiting. They had spent the entire morning finishing up with the police and the only highlight was, since only hunters were involved, no one was willing to tell the whole truth about what happened that night. Instead, the attackers were excepting a plea bargain … as soon as they got out of the hospital. Sam only hoped they were in jail long enough for him and Julius to disappear. At least there wasn't going to be a trial. The girl behind the counter smiled as she handed over three large ice cream cones and one small one.

"You need any help sir?"

Fortunately, this was one of the advantages to being Sam's size.

"No," he easily laced his long fingers around the treats, "I got it."

Bringing them carefully to the table, he passed out the cones before taking his seat next to Julius. The six year old quietly accepted his desert and started to slowly trace his finger in the ice cream.

"Dad … can I ask you a question … about last night?"

Sam exchanged a look with Dean.

"Sure, what is it?"

"The bad men … did they come for you or me?"

Sam bit his lower lip, unsure of how to respond. The men were going to kill him because of his visions and Julius because of his blood. Sam knew that when it came right down to it, the men came because of him.

"It's not important," Dean answered, before he could speak. "You're both safe and they're gone. Nothing else matters."

"He's right, Julius." Sam brushed a few stray curls out of the boy's eyes. "Now lets just eat our ice cream, okay?"

Julius nodded, and licked away the line his finger had made. Ten minutes later, Sam chuckled at the sticky circle growing around Dean's mouth.

"Dude, you're making a bigger mess then Julius." Sam smirked.

His brother reached over, smearing cookie dough ice cream across Sam's cheek.

"Who's messy now, b^&%*."

"Uncle Dean …"

Julius held out his hand and both Bobby and Sam snickered while Dean fished a quarter out of his pocket.

"I thought I was all paid up." He muttered handing over the coin.

While Sam wiped the dessert off of his face, Julius pointed out all the times he had caught Dean swearing … of course, if Sam pointed out the rest of the times, Dean would probably owe at least five bucks. But, as nice as it was to have some down time with his family, Sam knew that they still had one more fight to take care of. Kate was out there somewhere, and Julius wouldn't be safe until she was dead.

* * *

I decided to be nice and not give much of a cliffy, but remember there are only a few chapters left and they still have a pair of vampires to deal with.

BTW, I read the grenade part to my youngest brother, just the part where Sam and Dean were talking about it, but he didn't know what "Kamikaze" meant. So I explained that Kamikaze was the term used for Japanese pilots who flew their planes into things to blow them up during WW2. He looked at me puzzled and said "Wait ... hamsters can't fly!" LOL! I love my brother.

Anyway, I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.


	18. Chapter 18

Sorry for the long wait, I had a friend fly in and stay with me for a week.

Anyway, here ya go ...

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Sam drew a card and sighed.

"Dude," Dean smirked from his spot on the other end of the table, "are you STILL stuck?"

He glared, tossing down a card with a bright red square in the growing stack. Julius drew a card and his face lit up as he held it up for Sam to see.

"Look Dad, I get to go to Princess Lolly!"

Sam grinned, trying to ignore Dean's snickering.

"That's great Julius."

Julius moved his blue gingerbread-man forward, glancing at the stationary green piece before giving Sam a sympathetic look.

"Don't worry, Dad." He placed his small hand on Sam's shoulder. "You'll get out of the gooey gumdrops sooner or later."

Dean chuckled behind his gun magazine while Sam tried not to pay attention. The board game almost looked older then he was, the cards faded, the plastic game pieces chewed up, and there was no way Dean would ever let him live this down, but the look on Julius' face made it all worth while. Two turns later, Sam finally got a yellow card and was back in the game.

"Isn't this fun?" Julius smiled, moving his piece to the closes green square.

"Oh yeah," Sam smiled.

He reached down and drew a double blue … groaning soon after. Dean raised an eyebrow, glancing over at the board while Julius shook his head sadly.

"Sorry Dad … you are lost in the lollipop woods."

Dean tossed aside his magazine.

"This is too sad to witness anymore. I'm gonna go see it Bobby needs help with dinner."

Julius looked up in surprise.

"Uncle Dean, you can cook?"

"Better then he can speak Latin." Sam smirked

With a cocky grin, Dean said a Latin word and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Sam shaking his head.

"What does that word mean?" Julius stared at him curiously.

"It … uh … it means your uncle owes another dime to the swear jar."

After dinner, Dean was still snickering about the game.

"I don't know which is more pathetic, that got your a#$ kicked by a kindergartner or that you got your a*$ kicked by a kindergartener at CANDYLAND."

Sam shrugged, leaning back into the couch, waiting for Julius to get out of the tub so he could take his shower. He propped his foot on the damaged coffee table, eyes moving over the wall that was almost entirely made of tarps.

"The game was Heather's favorite when she was little, makes sense that Julius would want to play it."

"What's your excuse?" Dean smirk.

"When he gives me that look I can't say no."

Sam glanced over at his brother.

"You know, you could warn me when it's coming."

Dean sent him a cocky grin.

"What? And miss you getting friendly with Princess Lolly? No way."

Sam shot Dean an annoyed glare just as Julius stuck his head around the corner to let them know he was done.

**~~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~**

Dean sat on the carpet, across from his nephew and glanced over his cards.

"I see your twenty and raise you a fifty."

He placed the chips in the pile in the middle of the coffee table and Julius bit his lip.

"Okay," he said slowly, "I'll see your fifty and raise you a hundred."

Dean arched his eyebrows and looked back at his pair of kings. Kid must have something good.

"Bold move, runt." He stacked up three chips. "But I will see your hundred and raise you two more."

Julius' eyes glanced back and forth from the chips to his cards.

"I call."

He pushed three chips into the center.

"Okay," Dean nodded, dropping his cards on the table. "pair of kings."

Julius laid out his cares.

"Two sevens and two threes." He stated.

Dean smiled and raised his hands in defeat.

"You sure this is your first time?"

Julius grinned stacking the chips.

"Who's getting beat by a kindergartener now?"

Dean looked up to see Sam drying his hair with a towel.

"You better have left me some hot water."

Sam rolled his eyes and dropped onto the couch, frowning when he looked at the table.

"You're using poker chips?"

"It IS a poker game, Sammy."

"But your playing with a six year old." Sam argued, "shouldn't you be using cookies or candy or something?"

Julius shook his head.

"Emily says I am not allowed to have too much sugar, remember?"

Dean pushed himself to his feet.

"Julius," he started seriously, "there is no such thing as too much sugar."

Turning away from Sam's annoyed glance, Dean was just starting down the hall when Bobby came in.

"You boys will want to hear this."

Leaving Julius to his winnings, Dean followed Sam into the kitchen where Bobby turned up the radio.

"The victim has been identified as Mark Osborn, a 24 year old book keeper from Kansas. This is the second person killed in this way after Heather Manser two weeks ago. The police are strongly urging anyone who saw anything to call the tip hot line right away. In other news-"

Bobby switched off the radio and shared a grim look with the boys.

"Did either of you know this Osborn guy?"

They shook their heads, but Dean was sure that the fact he was about Sam's age AND from Kansas did not go unnoticed by any of the hunters. He caught the way his brother's shoulders dropped and the look of pain on his face.

"Sammy?"

"This guy … Kate killed him because-"

"Hey!" Dean snapped before he could finish, "this was not your fault."

"But-"

"No buts, Sam. Kate killed him because she is an evil b&^*%. There is no way this is your fault."

Sam nodded, but there was still guilt in his eyes.

"Who's Kate?"

All three hunters turned to see Julius in the doorway.

"She's a vampire." Dean answered.

Julius looked at his feet.

"Did she … is she the one that …"

Sam knelled down in front of him and lifted his chin so they were eye to eye.

"Yes … she's the one."

Julius' eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Why is she doing this?" He asked, "What did I do to make her so mad?"

Sam's jaw dropped at his son's question. Dean was equally surprised, but they all should have seen it coming.

"You didn't do anything, Julius." Sam assured his, pulling the boy into an embrace. "This was never about you."

"But she said-"

"Monsters lie." Dean stated. "Plain and simple."

"Then … why?"

Sam opened his mouth to answer but, knowing he would probably lay the blame on himself, Dean cut him off.

"Hold on."

He reached into his wallet and handed Julius a dollar.

"Because she is an evil b*$&^ who is mad because her b$s*a%d boyfriend got himself killed when he went after Sam and in her f&*%ed up mind, she thinks tormenting you and your dad is the best form of payback. But none of this s&%* is your fault OR your dad's. It's all the d&$* fang's. Okay?"

Julius nodded, pushing back so he could see Sam's face.

"You promise to be careful? You promise … that you won't die like Mom?"

"I promise." Sam smiled.

Smiling back, Julius wondered over to the cupboard under the sink and reached inside.

"What do you got there?" Bobby wondered.

Pulling out a small jar, Julius shoved the dollar inside.

"It's the swear jaw." He stated.

Ah, Dean thought, THAT'S the swear jar. It was amazing how one chunk of glass could give him so much crap. Right now he had to deal with Kate, but that stupid jar's days were numbered.

**~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~**

Sam glanced around the grisly scene. Blood splatter covered the walls, furniture was smashed, and the carpet was covered in large red splotches, where pieces of the mangled body had been recovered. Is this what Heather's place had looked like? It made him sick just thinking about it. Dean appeared at his side.

"How are ya doing?"

"Fine." Sam muttered.

He could see Dean's eyes searching his face, checking to see if he was being truthful. He must not have been hiding it as well as he hoped because a second later, Dean was leading him back to the Impala.

"Dean," he groaned, as his brother pulled him down the hall. "I said I was fine."

"Yeah, I know," Dean responded casually, "but there's nothing more we are going to learn there. We know who did it, and it's not like she left an address for us."

Sam had to agree there. Kate was too careful, she wouldn't have left anything behind that she didn't want to.

"Besides," Dean continued, "we can't stay too long and risk getting seen, Mr. Cole."

Sam nodded, glancing around to make sure no one who responded to the explosion was present. For once, luck was on their side. Now all he wanted to do was go home and see his son.

As they pulled up to the house, Sam felt his blood run cold. The tarps, once securely sealing the damaged wall, had been completely torn aside. The second the car stopped his was running toward the gapping hole with, Dean right behind him, praying he wouldn't find the same scene he had just left.

**~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~**

Dean rushed into the house and took in the damage. The couch and chairs were slashed, the coffee table smashed, and the dinning room didn't look any better. Sam ignored it, rushing up the stairs.

"Julius!" He yelled.

Oh please, let him be found alive. Dean searched for Bobby. He found nothing in the front rooms and when he entered the kitchen the first thing he saw was glass everywhere, as if every dish in the house had exploded.

"Bobby!"

No answer. Dean checked behind the counter and under the destroyed pieces furniture. When he cleared the kitchen, Dean checked the bathroom, only finding the same level of destruction. He headed back toward the door just as Sam came down the stairs.

"Anything?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head, fear filled eyes sweeping over the wreckage.

"We'll find them." Dean vowed, wishing he could take his brother's pain away.

There was still one place to check, the yard. Once outside they split up and circled the house. Dean had just turned the corner when a dark shape by the trash cans caught his attention.

"SAM!" He called out, rushing to the still form.

It only took a second for Sam to reach him and help him roll their friend onto his back.

"Bobby …" Sam breathed.

Relieve to find a pulse, Dean visibly checking over Bobby's injuries. His face looked like crap, his clothes were covered in blood, and his breathing was ragged.

"Sam, help me get him inside."

When he started to lift him, the older hunter moaned, tossing his head back and forth. The brother exchanged looks and lowered him back to the ground.

"Bobby?" Dean gently shook his friend's shoulder, "Bobby, you awake?"

Slowly opening his eyes and looked at Dean.

"D-Dean?"

"Yeah Bobby it's me."

Suddenly, Bobby's eyes flew open.

"Julius!"

He tried to push himself up, but the boys kept him down.

"I'm sorry Sam …" he groaned, "I tried …"

Dean saw a look of pure terror cross his brother's face.

"Bobby … what happened?" Dean asked, dreading the answer.

Bobby looked away, which only served to escalate their fear.

"Bobby?" Sam's voice trembled, "what happened to Julius?"

Face full of guilt, Bobby looked up.

"The b^&$% took him."

* * *

I put the next one up as soon as it's ready.

In the mean time, I'd love to here what you think.


	19. Chapter 19

Okay, sorry for the wait. My wonderful and brilliant editor had her work cut out for her with this chapter.

BTW, I must admit, although many of the story twists are mine (such as Dean speed dialing Bobby and Sam ordering Dean's favorite meal), a few are my editors (like selling Sam on ebay and Dean hiding the grenade in the wall). i didn't feel right taking the credit. You're awesome Fae. :)

Now that I have gotten that off my chest, here is the chapter ...

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Sam couldn't breathe. Julius was gone. His son was gone. The world spun, he felt like a puppet with his strings cut as he collapsed to the ground and the realization washed over him.

"Julius ..." he breathed.

He couldn't lose him, not now, not right after he found him. Image after image flashed in his mind, people he loved, people he cared for, people that were family... all of them lost. Mom … Jess … Dad … Heather … he couldn't bear it if he lost Julius too. The memories washed over him... a nostalgic yearning of better times forced him to fight back tears. But his thoughts faded to the background when a pair of hands gripped him by the shoulders.

"Sam!" Dean called forcefully, "Stay with me here, come on Sammy."

Sam raised his eyes to look at the two concerned hunters.

"He's gone."

"We'll get him back, Sam. I promise you, we'll get him back."

Sam drew strength from the rage dancing in his brother's eyes, from the determination held in Dean's words. Determination that he hadn't seen since his dad was taken captive by demons. Confidence started flowing through him, he was a Winchester, he came from a family of hunters, and he would rather die then let the very thing he been trained to kill get away with doing to Julius what it did to Heather. He took a deep breath and buried all his emotions, everything but the rage... he was a killer, he was a hunter, and he would have his revenge.

"I know we will, and when we do … Kate is mine."

**~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~~**

After getting Bobby inside, Dean looked around, trying to find a piece of intact furniture where he could rest. The best they could do was a wooden chair with a torn cushion. Setting down their friend, Dean immediately started to assess his injuries, fear gripping him when he saw the amount of blood. None of the wounds looked life threatening, but when dealing with vampires … the smallest cut could end your life.

"Did they bleed on you?"

"No."

A wave of relief to wash over Dean. He didn't know what he would have done if Bobby had been turned. He felt a twinge of fear of what they would find when they tracked down Kate, but quickly shoved the thought aside. They would find Julius in time … they would not allow that b%$*& to turn him into one of them.

After grabbing the first aid kit from … what was left of the kitchen, Dean started to patch up Bobby.

"I know where they went." Bobby grunted, pressing a piece of gauze to a cut on his forehead.

"Where?" Sam demanded.

"An abandoned building on the edge of town, but-"

He stopped abruptly when Sam heading for the hole that once was the door.

"Sam!" Dean grabbed his brother's arm. "Would you hold on for a second?"

Sam looked like he was ready to start throwing punches, but Dean wasn't about to back down. He wanted to rip Kate's head off just as badly as Sam, but he knew that rushing in would only get them killed.

"Sam, Kate practically told me where they were going to be," Bobby stated. "If that doesn't scream trap, I don't know what does."

"I don't care." Sam growled. "I'm not going to leave him there."

"We're not asking you to, ya idjit," Bobby spat.

"We WILL get him back," Dean added, "but we are going to do it on our terms, NOT Kate's."

Sam looked toward the hole, pain and fear showing clearly in his eyes.

"Okay," Sam sighed, "what are we gonna do?"

**~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Sitting on the remains of the couch, Sam tested the edge of his machete before slipping it into his duffel. When he reached for another knife off the coffee table, his foot kicked something that made a crinkling sound. It was a torn, wrinkled, picture of a man in bright cape under green lettering.

"MY DAD MY HERO"

Sam closed his eyes and left the drawing where it was. Some hero he turned out to be. How come he could save a hundred strangers, but not protect his own son. A small noise brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Bobby heading outside.

"Where the h^$& do you think you are going?"

Bobby turned away from the door to glare at the younger hunter.

"You think I am going to sit on my a%$ while you two walk into a trap?"

"Bobby, you're hurt."

"So? I've had worse."

Standing up, Sam shook his head.

"Bobby, you just got beat up by those two, you're in no shape to go anywhere."

"How do you expect to stop me?"

Sam pinched the bridge of nosed, in no mood for this conversation.

"Just … stay here. Alright?"

Bobby scoffed and shook his head.

"Boy, I helped trained your DAD on how to kill these things."

"That didn't make a difference before."

Bobby shot him a cold glare and Sam took a calming breath, knowing a full argument would not get him anywhere.

"Look, Bobby … we just don't want you to get hurt again."

"You're breaking my heart, can we just leave already?"

Okay, time for a more direct approach. As Bobby turned toward the doorway, Sam grabbed his arm firmly.

"Bobby, you are NOT going."

"The H&%$ I'm not."

Sam stared him down until Dean came in and grabbed the duffel.

"What the h^*% are you two standing around for? Get in the car."

Sam whipped around to face his brother.

"Dean, Bobby is in no shape to hunt."

Dean gave him a frustrated glare.

"Okay, would you like to stay here with him? Because this place ain't exactly a safe house anymore." Heading out the door, he yelled over his shoulder, "Get in the car or I'm leaving without you."

Sam looked up at the half finished building before them, a shining example of what happens when people run out of funding.

"You sure this is the right place?" Dean wondered.

"Are you kidding? She all but spelled it out for me." Bobby grunted. "This is defiantly a trap."

"Yeah," Sam muttered, "with Julius as the bait."

Dean gave him a determined look.

"We'll get him back."

Sam nodded, praying that he was right. They got out of the car and gathered at the trunk. Dean examined a quiver of bolts out of the trunk.

"You already soak these in dead man's blood?"

"Of course I did," Bobby grumbled, "I'm hurt, not stupid."

Dean took the quiver and a cross bow before handing machetes to Sam and Bobby.

"Alright, Sam and I are going in," he looked to Bobby, "you stay here. That way we have a safe place to send Julius when we find him."

Bobby nodded, but didn't look happy about it. Dean motioned for Sam to follow him and the two crept up to the building.

Peering through the window, Sam could see Julius. He was laying, curled up on his side, on a simple work table in the middle of the floor under a bare bulb, surrounded by white tarps that stood in place of walls. Even from the distance, he could tell the boy was trembling. He wanted to run out there, wrap him in his arms and take all his fears away … but he couldn't even reach him without exposing himself to the vampires. Julius was so close, and he wished he could at least let him know he was there, that everything was going to be okay. Turned out, he didn't have to as Kate's voice echoed through the building.

"Hello boys."

**~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~**

Dean did a quick double check to make sure his crossbow was ready. He didn't know if the vamps had heard the car or smelled their sent, and he didn't care. He was sick of being the prey, time to be a hunter. He signaled Sam where to go and made his way into the building, taking cover behind some abandoned stacks of lumber.

Peering around the corner he got a better view of his nephew then he had by the window. His hands were bound in front of him with thin rope, probably taken from one of the many piles of supplies. Tear tracks ran down his cheeks and over a fresh bruise that marred the left side of his face. I thin trickle of blood ran down his chin from a split lip, but it appeared to have stopped bleeding. Dean glanced over at his brother's hiding place. From the look on Sam's face, he had noticed the injuries too. Dean just hoped he didn't act on impulse and get himself or his son killed. They were still to far from Julius to reach him before the vampires got to them.

While he tried to think of the best way to get his family out of this alive, Kate appeared behind Julius. The boy tensed as her shadow fell over him, whimpering when the b&^%* stroked his chocolate colored curls.

"You were right kid, your daddy came."

Dean shared a look with Sam, silently ordering him not to do anything stupid … at least not until they could see both of the fangs. Julius' sudden cry brought there attention back to Kate, who was holding Julius' head against the table with one hand and his shoulders with the other, smiling with anticipation as she looked at his exposed neck.

"Just in time to see you die."

When her second set of teeth descended, Sam leaped from his hiding space and rushed at Kate, machete raised to take off her head. Seeing the blade coming, Kate flipped the table, sending Julius to the floor at Sam's feet before disappearing among the milky white tarps.

Sam scooped up Julius and fell back to Dean's location. The boy was sobbing hard and clinging to his dad for dear life. Dean had to pry his fingers loose so Sam could cut the twine wrapped around his wrists.

"Julius, it's okay." Sam whispered, "everything is going to be okay."

He had barely severed the bonds when someone threw him into a wall, sending his machete flying. Julius screamed and Dean shoved him behind another pile of supplies, knocking over a stack of thin PVC pipe.

"Julius, get to the car." He ordered, turning to help his brother.

Sam was facing off against Kate's partner without so much as a switchblade. Evening the odds a bit, Dean took aim and sent an arrow straight into the fang's back. As soon as she hit the ground, Sam looked up at Dean with fear in his eyes.

"Dean!"

Dean turned in time to see Kate grab the crossbow and use the momentum to fling him into his brother.

"Nice toy." She smirked tossing it out the window.

Noticing he had also lost his quiver, Dean grabbed his back up knife and positioned himself between the b&%*$ and Sam. Kate gave him an amused look.

"You think that little thing can take me out?"

Dean gave her a cocky grin.

"It's bigger then the bullet that took out your boyfriend."

With a snarl, Kate lunged at Dean. He swung the blade, but missed, taking a hit to the side. He sliced again, this time catching her shoulder, but only getting a hiss of pain in response. The next hit knocked the knife from his hand and a second later a vice like grip wrapped around his neck, pinning him to the wall.

"Dean!"

Sam lunged at her, but only took a kick to the stomach and wound up next to him, he other hand at his throat, gasping for breath.

"I was planning on feeding on the boy right in from of you," She smiled, "but it looks like I'll have to settle for snapping your necks … then feeding on the brat."

Dean struggled to pry her hand loose, but she was too strong. He glanced around for a weapon, but nothing was in reach.

"He's still here by the way."

Dean narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out who she meant.

"The kid," she clarified, "he never left … now he will get to see the rest of his family die."

Suddenly there was a whistling sound followed by a muffled thud and Kate let go. She turned around slowly, and Dean caught sight of one of his arrows in the middle of her back. All three looked up to see Julius, a homemade bow made out of PVC pipe and twine in his hand, and a dark look on his tear streaked face.

"That was for my mom, you b^&%#."

* * *

Davie strikes again! :D

Seriously, how many of you saw THAT coming?

Only one chapter left ...


	20. Chapter 20

Here it is, the long awaited final chapter.

(And I'm sorry about the wait, my fault. This chapter is about 1,300 words longer then usual, so it took a while to write.)

I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Dean's gaze darted between Julius, the bow, and Kate. Did his nephew … did he just … was Kate just … he beamed at his brother.

"Your kid kicks a*$."

He shot him a dark glare before turning back to his son.

"Julius …"

Sam stopped when Julius looked like he was about to cry again.

"I'm sorry. I'll never swear again."

"Are you kidding me?" Dean grinned, "We don't care about that. In fact, this dime is on me."

Dean pointed at the makeshift weapon.

"How did you know how to do that?"

Julius glanced down at the bow and back up to them.

"Boy scouts."

Dean paused and turned to Sam.

"I take back everything I ever said about those kids."

Sam ignored him and knelt down in front of his son, checking for injuries. Julius was staring at Kate's still form.

"D-did I …"

"No, you didn't kill her." Sam answered.

"The arrow only weakened her," Dean added.

Recovering the machete from the floor, Dean moved to stand over Kate.

"You still wanna kill the b$%^#, or do I get the honors?"

Sam gave him a brief glance, silently telling him to shut up.

"Julius, why don't you go get an icepack from Bobby?" Sam suggested, "He is waiting in the car."

Nodding, Julius headed outside, with Sam watching him from the window.

"Come on Sammy," Dean groaned, "the boy has already seen death, murder, and mayhem. I think he can handle seeing the fang get a little taken off the top."

Sam turned away from the window, rage burning in his eyes.

"The b%&$# is mine."

**~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam walked towards the Impala, wiping the the last of Kate's blood off the machete. He couldn't get over what just happened. His son, his sweet little six year old, had shot a vampire. Was he wrong to shield him from this life? Did he even have a choice anymore?

"Cheer up Sammy," Dean clapped him on the back, "your son is more Winchester than you are."

"Yeah, thanks." Sam grumbled, opening the car door.

He looked in the back where Julius held an ice pack to his cheek while Bobby cleaned the cut on his lip.

"How ya doing?"

Julius gave him a small smile, wincing slightly.

"I'm okay."

Dean got in the car and looked over the seat.

"How's Davie?"

"He's fine." Bobby replied, "Now would anyone mind telling me what the h%*^ happened in there?"

"Julius didn't tell you?" Sam wondered.

Dean rolled his eyes.

"You kidding? He's way too much like you."

Sam glared at him and turned back to Bobby.

"Julius shot Kate."  
"He what!?"

Julius cringed and Sam put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay."

"Okay? It was awesome!" Dean grinned, "he swore at her and everything."

"He shot her with the crossbow?"

"No," Sam answered, "a bow he made out of PVC pipe."

"What?"

"I learned to make them in boy scouts." Julius explained, "and when I saw her grab you … I couldn't let her kill you … not like mom."

Sam gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's okay Julius. You did great."

"Great." Dean muttered, starting the car. "He did awesome."

Choosing to ignore him, Sam turned around in his seat and let his thoughts wander back to Julius' future.

**~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Flipping on the only remaining lamp, Dean held back the tarp for the others. Julius looked around the destroyed home and grimaced.

"Emily is gonna be REALLY mad."

Sam glanced at the rubble and shrugged.

"It's not that bad," Sam assured him, "Think of it as … modern art."

Julius stared at him.

"Modern art?"

"Yeah," Dean added, "it's … demolishism."

Bobby shot them a weird look, but before he could say anything, they heard the sound of footsteps on the porch. In an instant Dean had his gun ready and a quick glance told him Sam also had his weapon out while he stood to shield his son from whatever was coming. A second later the tarp moved aside.

"Wha-"

The hunters quickly put away their weapons, while the woman's eyes swept the room in shock as she slowly entered the house.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HOUSE!?"

When her gaze came to rest on Julius, she gasped and rushed to his side.

"Oh, sweetie," she gently palmed his bruised cheek, "what happened to you?"

"I'm okay, Emily." He assured her, "It doesn't even hurt anymore.

She glared up at Sam.

"I thought you were going to protect him."

Sam glanced down at Julius.

"I did the best I could."

"Well, I'm sorry, but your best isn't good enough."

Anger welled up inside Dean when he saw the guilt on his brother's face.

"That is NOT what happened." He stated, as much to Sam as Emily.

"It's true," Julius added quickly, "Dad took real good care of me."

Emily gave Sam a skeptical look that made Dean grind his teeth.

"You want to blame something," Dean growled, "blame that d&^* website of yours."

"The website?" She scoffed. "You expect me to believe that a website caused THIS?"

"Believe it, lady." Bobby added, "Sam did everything in his power to protect that boy."

She stood up, shaking her head.

"How could a website-"

"Did you ever wonder why we couldn't be found?" Dean cut in. "Why you couldn't just look us up in the phone book?"

Emily stared at him with her mouth open, but no sound came out.

"People want us dead," he continued, "advertising our location is what brought all this here, NOT Sam."

He glanced at his brother when he said the last part, but Sam still looked guilty as h^&%.

"Why would anyone want you dead? Are you bank robbers or something?"

"Yeah," Dean mumbled, "we're the f$*#ing James gang."

She stared at him, eyes wide, causing him to groan inwardly. This woman would believe anything but the truth. Turning away from her, Dean motioned for Sam to get Julius' things. He nodded, taking his son by the hand before disappearing upstairs. Now that the threat of the vampires was gone, Dean wasn't going to stay in this town a second longer than necessary.

Ignoring Emily's rants on how they were a gang of thieves, Dean and Bobby quickly gathered anything they had left on the first floor.

"I can't believe Heather's boyfriend is a … a train robber."

Dean bite back a response. It was Lansing all over again. The only thing that comes from arguing with an idiot is a headache and a whole lot of wasted time. Looking up, he saw Sam and Julius come back down the stairs.

"I'm ready." Julius said, adjusting the straps on his backpack.

"What!?" Emily exclaimed, "you can't go with THEM!"

Julius moved closer to Sam.

"But they're my family!"

"They blew up my house!"

"No they didn't," Julius countered, "I did."

She gaped at the little boy, trying to find the words.

"You … you couldn't have …"

"Well, I did." Julius stated. "I even helped Uncle Dean put the grenade in the wall."

She turned her shocked expression towards Dean, who was way passed trying to deal with this.

"Sam," he ordered, "get Julius in the car."

Dean and Bobby positioned themselves between Emily and Sam, just in case she tried to stop him.

"You can't take him!" She yelled, "If you do … I'll … call the police!"

Great, just what they needed, a kidnapping charge. Then again, it's not likely the police would believe her when she tells them her best friend's kid was taken by the James gang. Dean just dropped it and headed out after his brother leaving Bobby to give their parting message.

"You might want to move," the older hunter instructed, "it's not safe here anymore."

Not waiting to hear what she had to say, Dean climbed behind the wheel of the Impala and headed for the state line. This nightmare was finally over, but one look at Sam told him, their hardest choice was still to come.

**~~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sam fiddled with his beer, his mind wandering. Julius was now marked, just like him.

"Sam?" Dean snapped his fingers in front of him, "you still with us?"

"Uh … yeah. I was just … thinking."

He glanced across the hotel room to Julius, who was fast asleep on the bed farthest from the door. He looked so small and innocent, and guilt washed over Sam. Because of him, because of what he was, his son might loose his innocence forever.

"Sammy," Dean groaned from across the table, "I swear, if you're thinking what I think you are thinking, you better cut it out right now."

"But Dean-"

"This is not your fault." Dean snapped. "You so much as think that one more time and I'll kick you a$^."

Sam looked back at his untouched beer, not really wanting to test his brother.

"Dean's right Sam." Bobby added. "You didn't cause this. H*^%, if you did anything, you stopped it."

"So, we good?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed and nodded.

"But what are we going to do with Julius now?"

Dean's face was casual as he sipped his beer, but he stayed silent. He knew just as well as Sam did, Julius couldn't stay with them. There lives were far to dangerous and Julius was too young to be cooped up in a hotel room for days at a time.

"I'll take him." Bobby offered.

Sam shook his head.

"I can't ask you to do that."

"You don't have to, ya idjit." Bobby snorted, "I'd be happy to take him in."

Dean took another swig of beer and set the bottle on the table.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Bobby," he stated. "Too many people know your connection to us. He would be too easy to find."

"Then, where are you going to put him?"

Sam wished he knew. The last thing he wanted was for Julius to grow up on the road, but the Winchester name made a normal, apple pie life virtually impossible. He was pulled from his thoughts when his phone went off. Twenty minutes later he had the answer he had been looking for.

**~~~~~~~~~~~Dean's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Dean led the way down the highway, drumming his fingers to the sound of Metallica, with Bobby's truck trailing behind.

"Why can't I just stay with you?" Julius asked from the back seat.

"Because it's too dangerous." Sam explained. "Trust me, it's better this way."

"Besides," Dean added, "the people you will be staying with have enough money that you can pretty much do whatever you want."

Julius perked up a little.

"Really?"

"Absolutely." Dean assured him, turning back to the road.

"Can I learn ballet?"

Dean decided to let Sam put an end to that thought.

"Sure," Sam responded, "whatever you want."

Dean shot Sam a dark look.

"What?"

"Are you kidding me!?"

"If Julius wants to learn ballet, he can learn ballet."

"Besides," Julius pipped up. "Ballet is good exercise. It teaches strength-"

"Play football." Dean cut in.

"-balance-"

"Hockey."

"-and coordination."

"Soccer. No wait … that's a pansy sport too."

Sam shot him a glare.

"He is taking ballet."

"Uh-uh Sam," Dean shook his head, "no nephew of mine is going to be prancing around in a d#&$ tutu."

"Uncle Dean ..." Julius warned.

"Hey, the swear jar is 300 miles away," Dean pointed out, "It doesn't apply here."

"And boys wear leotards," Julius corrected with a scowled, "only girls wear tutus."

"See!" Dean stated, "it's gay that he even knows that."

The car fell silent as Dean was bombarded with the return of the father/son death glares.

A half an hour later, Dean pulled up to a large white house.

"Here we are." Sam said, climbing out of the car.

Julius stared out the window.

"You didn't say they lived in a mansion."

Sam held the door open for his son while Dean grabbed his backpack from the trunk. Julius held tight to his dad's hand as the four of them approached the massive front door. After Bobby rang the bell a beautiful woman with hazel eyes and long dark brown hair opened the door.

"Hi Sam." She smiled.

"Hey Sarah."

**~~~~~~~~~~~Sam's POV~~~~~~~~~**

Sam looked up at Sarah, as she placed a plate of sandwiches in the middle of the table.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this."

"I'm just glad I could help." She replied, sitting across from the hunters. "So Julius, what do you like to do?"

"Drama, art, music," Julius listed off, helping himself to a sandwich, "oh, and Dad said I could take ballet."

Sam noticed Dean grimace at that last one, but how could he deny Julius something he really wanted. He had to fight his dad for weeks before he got to play soccer, no way was Sam going to discourage his son from doing the things he loved to do.

"That's great. I took it myself when I was younger. It's really fun."

Sam felt a foot kick him in the shin and he looked up to Dean mouthing the word, 'See? It's gay'.

"We will have to see what dance schools are around here." Sam added, glaring at his brother, "Why don't you tell Sarah what else you like."

"My favorite sport is archery."

"Really?" Sarah raised an eyebrow, "you are quite the Renaissance man."

Julius nodded happily.

"Mom and I used to work the Renaissance fairs. She always said I was born to entertain."

"Is that where you learned to shoot an arrow?" Sam asked, before talking a bite of his ham and cheese.

"Yup." Julius said proudly, "I happen to be the junior archery champion, two years in a row."

Now Dean raised an eyebrow.

"You won when you were four?" Bobby questioned.

" No," Julius clarified, "I took third when I was four. I won last year and this year."

"Looks like we will be looking up archery ranges as well as ballet schools." Sarah commented.

"And gyms." Dean chimed in, before taking a huge bite of his sandwich.

"Gyms?" Sarah questioned.

"Yeah," Dean mumbled around his food, "so he can learn to defend himself from all the kids who call him a pansy."

Sam glared, but before he could reply, Julius spoke up.

"My mom said, violence is never the answer."

"This from the kid who blew up a wall." Dean muttered, taking another bite.

"That was different." Julius mumbled.

Sarah cast a confused glance around the table.

"It was nothing." Sam assured her.

She nodded, but didn't look convinced.

"Am I going to have any exploding walls here?"

"Only if evil hunters show up," Julius answered, "but you would have to get the grenades from Uncle Dean."

When she turned a questioning gaze to Dean, Sam cleared his throat.

"So, do you know of any good schools in the area?"

"One," Sarah answered. "It's the same one I went to when I was little."

"Oh yeah?" Sam finished off the last of his lunch.

"Maybe you could stick around for a while and check it out yourself."

Sam returned her smile.

"I'd like that."

"Looks like you're going to get a younger sibling after all." Dean muttered.

Sam turned to glare at his brother when Julius sat straight up.

"You never answered my question."

"What?" Sam asked, completely lost.

"Where do babies come from?"

Bobby and Dean immediately stopped eating while Sam's mind went blank. He had almost forgotten about that. Sarah looked at them, amused, before answering.

"They grow in their mom's tummy."

"Oh …" Julius thought about this for a minute. "how do they get there."

Sam noticed the grin on his brother's face and was instantly put on edge.

"Well Julius," the oldest Winchester began, "it usually begins with a man, a woman, and a lot of alcohol …"

"Dean." Sam groaned.

"… then it often moves to a hotel room …"

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed.

Was he seriously about to explain this to a six year old?

"Sweetie," Sarah cut in, "angels put them there."

Julius seemed to except this answer, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief … until Dean had to open his big mouth.

"That's it? You just had to lie to the kid?"

Sam stomped down on his foot, hoping to make his point clear, as Julius turned to his uncle.

"You lied to me?"

Dean paused, glancing up at Sam before answering.

"Yes … I lied to you."

Thank you, Sam thought, picking up his beer.

"You don't need a hotel room." Dean added.

Sam choked on his drink, unable to comment as his brother continued.

" Any flat surface will do … sometimes people even use props."

Kicking Dean hard in the shin, he FINALLY managed to shut him up.

"What do props do?"

Sam gave Dean the darkest glare he could muster, daring him to speak again.

"They make the angels come faster." Sarah responded, rising from her seat. "Julius, want to help me make dessert?"

"Sure."

As soon as they were gone, Sam socked Dean's shoulder and Bobby started laughing.

"What was that for?" Dean grumbled.

"Alcohol? PROPS? Dean, he is SIX YEARS OLD!"

"So?"

Sam took a deep breath to calm down.

"Just … wait a decade or so, alright?"

Dean shrugged and finished off his beer. Sam glared across the table to were Bobby was still chuckling.

"And YOU were no help."

"Hey," he held up his hands, "not my place."

Sam rolled his eyes and went to see if Julius and Sarah needed help in the kitchen.

Two days later, Sam handed his bag to Dean to be stowed in the trunk with the others.

"Do you have to go so soon?" Julius asked glumly.

Sam knelt down, so he could look his son in the eye.

"Hey, it's okay," he smiled, "Sarah is going to take good care of you."

"And during the summer, you get to come to my place," Bobby added.

"But when will I get to see you again?"

Sam wished he had an answer. He looked towards his brother, but Dean was turned away, leaning against the side of the car. He had been pretty quiet that morning, and Sam was determined to find out what was bugging him.

"I'll come visit as soon as I can."

Julius nodded and wrapped his arms around Sam's neck.

"I love you Dad."

Sam returned the embrace.

"I love you too."

Julius let go and ran over to Dean, hugging his waist.

"Bye Uncle Dean. "I'm really gonna miss you."

Dean awkwardly patted his nephew's back.

"Uh … yeah." He pulled Julius off and squatted down, "now remember what we talked about?"

Julius nodded and took a deep breath.

"My name is Julius Connors, my father is an art dealer. He travels a lot, so I can't stay with him during the school year."

"That's right. And what will you do if you see anything weird?"

"Call you or Dad immediately."

"Good job."

Dean held up his hand and Julius gave him a high five.

"I know I am new at this, but are you sure those symbols will be enough?" Sarah asked joining them. "I mean, they are just paint."

"As long as they stay intact the house is fortified." Dean answered, "you'll be fine."

Sam had a feeling, Dean was saying that for him as much as Sarah. He stood up and faced her.

"Thanks again, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't-"

"Hey, it's okay. I'm happy to do it. Just come back soon. We are going to miss you."

Sam smiled and nodded before making his finally goodbyes. As they drove away he watched Julius wave through the review mirror.

"We'll come back soon." Dean promised, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I know." Sam sighed, "I just hope it's not years before I see him again."

He didn't miss the expression that crossed Dean's face, the same one from that night on the couch.

"Dean?"

Dean paused, his face thoughtful.

"Did you know we could be in Atlantic City by nightfall?"

"Not this time Dean, you are going to tell me what is bothering you."

As an answer Dean pushed in his Black Sabbath album and turned the volume up. Sam stared out the window, knowing it was pointless to press the subject now, but Winchester stubbornness went both ways. Sam WOULD find out what was wrong.

**EPILOGUE**

Dean moved carefully through the building. His expression was focused, but his eyes burned with anger. He searched each room, unsurprised when he came up empty.

"Where are you?" He muttered.

He seemed to get his answer as the temperature dropped, his breath becoming a white cloud. He turned in time for the spirit to take him by the throat, pinning him to the wall, a long knife clutched in his pale hand.

"Traitor." He hissed, slicing his blade down Dean's side.

Dean grunted in pain and tried to raise his gun, but the ghost knocked it from his hands. With a wild gleam in his eye, the spirit pressed the blade against the hunter's throat.

"Death to traitors!"

Dean struggled to get free as blood began to trickle down his neck, but soon his eyes closed and his body went still.

"NO!"

The dreamer sat up in bed, panting and sweaty. He rubbed his eyes, trying to erase the nightmare from his mind, the same one that had plagued him from three days. He took a deep breath to calm his shaking hands, wondering if he should tell anyone about his dreams. He dismissed the thought when a voice called up to him.

"Julius, breakfast is ready."

* * *

There you go. A special thanks to all my readers and A-Listers, I hope you join me for my next story. (BTW, the epilogue is a peek into that one.)

For those of you who don't know, which is most of you, "Once Upon A Stage" is the first in a series. :) (I hope you like the next one as mush as this one.)

Coming Soon (Story #2): "Firstborn"


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